Repeat
by metz0
Summary: As much as she'd like to see it, it would be naive to think that things would be any different in the new world. Lightning has been avoiding the growing conflict from the civil war in the west, after witnessing an atrocity she can't stand by any longer.
1. Chapter 1

_AN -_ UPDATEFEST CONTINUES. This one literally takes off where the final game ends. It's heavily implied that the "New World" is our world at the end of the game, but I am cheating SLIGHTLY with location names by literally calling them whatever they are in various other languages. It just became too weird and disjointed in my head otherwise while writing it otherwise. Enjoy!

* * *

The peaceful quiet of the countryside was only interrupted by the mild rattling of a train ambling along winding tracks through the hills. It pulled into the station and came to a stop with a squeak of the brakes and a lone passenger disembarked. Lightning Farron stepped onto the platform with a serene expression on her face. There was a gentle warm breeze floating through the air that had her brushing the wayward strands of pink hair behind her ear. She smiled as she looked out at the lands beyond the station and made her way to the exit. She spied a plane trailing across the blue sky and it made her heart skip with excitement. "We'll be together soon." She whispered to herself.

Searching for the familiar white jeep that belonged to her sister's now-husband, she walked through the carpark until she found the car, and the owner in question. Snow Villiers was easily recognisable from a distance, based purely on the fact that he towered over just about anyone else in the vicinity. He spotted his sister-in-law and waved, a huge grin on his face. "Sis! Good to see you!" He called out as she approached. Her eyes narrowed but held a warm tone and she shook her head.

"I suppose I can't say I'm not your sister anymore can I?" She sighed, though smiling at him as he took her bags. He shrugged and laughed as he loaded them into the car.

"Did I ever listen to you when you could?"

"Fair point."

They both got in the car and Snow killed the radio as he turned over the ignition. He slowly and carefully exited the station carpark and began their journey home through the rolling hills towards Barcelonnette. After everything had settled, Serah and Snow decided to set up their life together in the Alps in the south end of França. Lightning was originally against the idea as it would take her sister far from her, but realised that she had to let her go lest she repeat the mistakes of her past. The initial loss hurt, but then it lessened over time as they spoke via video almost every day, and visited each other often.

"Serah wasn't making the trip down?" Lightning asked as she watched the countryside roll by out the window. Snow danced his fingers along the steering wheel and tilted his head while still paying attention to the road.

"Eh, she wanted to but… You know her and how she treats these yearly visits from everyone…"

"So basically she's in full blown manic cleaning the house with a toothbrush mode, all while cooking a banquet." Lightning replied with a quirk of her lips.

"Pretty much. Can you blame her though?" Snow agreed with a chuckle. "The others should be here within the day, Fang and Vanille wanted a road trip. Sazh is already here with his family, and I think Hope and his parents are about an hour away."

Lightning's mind went to Sazh and remembered their first re-meeting at Serah's wedding three years ago. He stood so tall and proud, so content and happy. His wife Quinn who was reborn into the new world with them was radiant and in awe of all of these people her husband was acquainted with. Sazh had confided in her that apparently, at first Quinn didn't believe him about the old world and it was a sore point in their relationship. Up until a reporter had shown up on their doorstep questioning him about the Saviour and the Purge from his stories... It was one thing for her husband to speak of such strange tales but when a complete stranger was spouting the same things it was a little overwhelming. The poor woman nearly fainted when she was introduced to the elder Farron, and after the reception was over Quinn took her family back to the hotel room. She dragged Sazh to the balcony once Dajh was asleep, and made him start from the top.

She had since moved past the initial shock of it all and had become a calm and welcome addition to the yearly gatherings Serah held. It took a while for her to stop looking at Lightning like she was about to sprout wings and ascend to the sky, but that was common for those that came into contact with her who held memories of the old world.

These annual get-togethers were outside of the former Saviour's regular visits to her sister, but that was because it was an anniversary of their first day in the new world. This year would mark the fourth they'd had. Lightning smiled as she leant on the open window of the jeep, stretching her arm outside and letting her hand ride the air currents. Snow was animated as he updated her on the goings on in the small city, and the community centre he ran was flourishing. Serah was continuing her role as a teacher at the local elementary school, and they both genuinely seemed happy.

They pulled into the driveway to their house and Serah was already bursting out the front door. She made a beeline for her sister and leapt into her arms as Lightning got out of the car. "Wow hey," The elder Farron laughed as she held her sibling tight, "I've missed you too, but please don't choke me to death on your doorstep."

Serah giggled and pulled back, holding her at arm's length. "It's really good to see you, sis. Come on and put your bags inside! Hope and his parents will be here soon… The NORA gang went into the village to pick up some supplies for the evening."

"Lebreau playing bartender again I take it?" Lightning drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You know it! Fang and Vanille are just over the border but should make it here by nightfall. They've been enjoying themselves on a road trip through Europa over the last couple of weeks. Oh, Rygdea and Amodar send their apologies but they have them on assignment down south so he can't make it this year."Serah rattled off as she led her sister through the house, updating her on the whereabouts of everyone. Lightning's lips thinned as she cast her thoughts to her two former military colleagues, the unrest with the war putting them once again in the thick of danger while she relaxed in the countryside. She took a deep breath and held it for a few moments before exhaling. That wasn't her life anymore.

Once settled, the two sat out on the front porch in the late afternoon sun, enjoying a quiet tea together. Snow took up some meal preparations in the yard with his old NORA crew after they'd returned from their supply run, content to let his wife have some sisterly time. Lightning was just happy to sit and listen to her sibling chatter away about her kids at school, the village and life in general for the happy couple.

"Anyone in your life yet Claire?" Serah asked with a sly grin. Lightning scowled and buried herself in her mug.

"Tch... Not exactly something I'm paying attention to at this stage you know?"

"But if not now, when?" Serah complained. "You work yourself to the bone even in this world sis."

Lightning smirked and brought her tea up to her lips. "I gave up the army life here Serah. I work for the museum as an archaeologist. It's my job to work things to the bone."

" _Other_ bones, Claire. Not your own. Do I need to set you up with someone?" The young pinkette retorted, feeling exasperated by her sister's evasive antics. The elder Farron chuckled into her tea and thought about that. It was her proverbial excuse when she was in the Guardian Corps, and then when the shit hit the fan and the Purge happened, there was definitely no time for romantic inclinations. Some brief infatuation maybe, she had an active imagination as anyone else did.

"Let's see… What's your type anyway?" Serah's voice chimed her from her thoughts as the younger Farron swiped through her phone. She rolled her eyes at her older sibling and gave her a pointed look. "Humour me, at least?"

Lightning shook her head and folded her arms, leaning back in the chair. "Fine. Keeping up with me would be a priority-"

"That much is a given.." Serah muttered and ignored the glare she got in response. "What about height? Tall or short?"

"Tall."

"Dark hair or light hair?"

"Does it matter?" Lightning complained. "... Dark."

"Are you a fan of tattoos?" Serah continued, scrolling through her phone some more.

The elder Farron's mind immediately flashed to the giant gorgonopsid on Fang's shoulder she often found herself staring at while on the run and shrugged. "I don't mind them."

"Do you like slender or beefcake? Like, Yuj or Gadot?"

The elder pinkette scrunched her face up in disgust. "Ew. Serah. No. Athletic. I suppose some muscle is good but not so they look like someone went crazy with a balloon animal."

Serah giggled at the mental image of Gadot made from balloons and filed that away for later amusement. "What about personality? A talker or a listener?"

"Talker. Then I don't have to say anything."

"Ok, clearly they're going to need a sense of humour to tolerate you, sis."

"Oh shut up, Serah. And if you're looking through a dating app I'm going to kill you." Lightning groaned and made to get up from her chair. Serah leapt up and held her by the hands.

"Come on Light, I just want to see you happy."

"I am happy, I don't see how…" The former Saviour trailed off as she heard music in the distance, coupled with a car engine at speed. She saw a convertible come over the rise, bright red and tearing along the curves of the road like they were driving on a knife edge.

" _Come on come on, let me hear your war cry_!" Loud blaring metal music filled the surrounding neighbourhood and while the music wasn't quite to her tastes, she had heard the band before and knew exactly who would be driving that car. Her eyes lit up as the car rounded the corner and came to a stop outside the front of Serah's house.

"Well damn I'm either seeing double and shouldn't be driving, or there are two pink-haired beauties on the porch!"

Oerba Yun Fang leapt from the car without opening the door, making full use of the convertible. She also appeared to be making the most of the fine day, wearing a black tank top and khaki coloured shorts that showed off her long, tanned legs. She took off the dark aviator sunglasses that framed her face as she made her way around the vehicle and helped Vanille with her things. The redhead was also dressed for the weather, in a flowery white summer dress that moved and shifted with the warm breeze.

Once she was sure her adopted sibling was fine, she raced up the stairs two at a time and ran up to the sisters, giving Serah a quick hug. "Mini-Lightning! It's good to see you, this time of year is better than Christmas honestly. And Christmas is definitely one of the better holidays this world has."

Serah returned the hug and then practically tackled Vanille off the porch as the younger Pulsian ascended the last step. Fang sauntered over to Lightning and hummed, giving the pinkette a once over. Peace certainly suited the older Farron sister, though she still held some of her typical standoffish traits. "Mmm Sunshine it is good to see you too. No hug for little old Fang?"

"Little? I'd say you're a lot old, judging by the fact you already had five hundred years on us when we first met." Lightning retorted with a twitch of her lips. Fang's eyes darted down at the quirk and then narrowed.

"You just made a hag joke not even five minutes into me getting here? No hug, no 'happy to see you too Fang!' Just a glare and a hag joke. Do you see how your sister treats me, Serah?" She said with a pout. The younger Farron looked over to watch her sister's stony glare begin to crack, the barest hint of a smile breaking through. Lightning tried to hide her laughter behind her hand as Fang looked outraged. "You fiend!"

The pinkette dropped her head and exhaled, looking back up at her friend through her locks. "It's good to see you Fang." She said quietly, reaching out to touch the lightning bolt tattoo on the tanned wrist with a knowing smile. Fang's eyes lit up and she flashed the most brilliant of smiles, her wrist buzzing from the woman's touch. Turning to their respective younger siblings, Lightning helped Vanille with their bags and guided them inside, with Serah's curious gaze following her.

* * *

The party was in full swing with a lot of chatter, a lot of drinking and a lot of happy faces. Snow's fire pit was roaring in the yard as he sat with his NORA gang swapping stories about the purge, with Sazh and Quinn listening attentively. Their son Dajh was over with Sarah and Vanille, being thoroughly entertained by the redhead's over the top stories about life on Pulse.

Hope was seated on the deck with his parents, talking to a relaxed pinkette. "So Hope, how goes the academy? Study life treating you well?" Lightning asked as she cradled her drink in her hands. The boy smiled and fidgeted in his seat.

"The science program is intense but, I'm applying myself and getting some decent grades.." He mumbled bashfully. His mother Nora, placed an arm around him and squeezed.

"He's being modest Lightning, he's at the top of most of his classes." The pinkette's eyebrows raised and she smiled broadly.

"I'm impressed, though not surprised."

"Well, it helps to have been around for five centuries waiting for the world to end learning the basics…" He joked with a grin. "What about you Light? How are the digs going?"

She nodded and took a sip of her beer. "They're going well. Found some interesting relics dating back a few thousand years recently in Anglaterra with far too much detail in their stories to be anything Bhunivelze could have depicted."

"So it lends more weight to your theory that he didn't create the world, merely inhabit an abandoned one?" Hope asked with an amused grin, "How lazy of God."

Another nod and another sip. "Yes. Though I won't be publishing that anytime soon. There's enough issues in the world without adding to them with any of my findings."

Bartholomew took a drink himself and leant forward on the table. "The civil war in the east is escalating, I hope it doesn't impact on your research by making it less safe to travel."

"It won't. I'm working out of the Natural History Museum in Londres which allows me to travel out of the way of the conflict and makes it easier to visit Serah here as well. So I'll stay out of the war business this time around and keep my interest in relics."

"Must explain why she likes me so much!" Fang's voice rang out from the kitchen as she sauntered out with a fresh round of drinks for everyone. Lightning rolled her eyes but held a smile.

"Now who's making the hag jokes?" She replied sardonically as the brunette sat down beside her and bumped her shoulder. Fang handed her another beverage and took a long drink from her own. Serah came over and joined the table, asking after everyone.

"What about you Fang, anyone special making themselves known?" She asked coyly, obviously on a roll from earlier. Lightning rolled her eyes and groaned, necking what was left of her current bottle so she could start on the new one Fang had given her.

"Goddess, you're relentless. She was on my case earlier for the same thing."

Fang laughed and shook her head. "No Serah, I haven't been on the prowl." The younger Farron frowned at her sister's annoyed expression and narrowed her eyes.

"Well, do you have a type? I'm already on the lookout for Claire, maybe I can _prowl_ around for you as well!"

The brunette wasn't sure if she was more amused by Serah's offer to act as a matchmaker or Lightning's groaning about it. She shrugged and circled her finger around the lip of her beer. "I dunno, I haven't really thought about it."

"Ok well I'll do the same thing I did with Claire earlier.." Another groan. "Shut up sis. So Fang, tall or short?"

"Hmm… Short. I like to be the taller one."

"Dark hair or light hair?"

Fang tapped her chin and thought about the question. "Not sure? Light, I guess. Doesn't faze me."

"Tattoos?"

"Eh. One or two is fine but…" A scoff from Lightning drew her gaze. "What? So I'm a hypocrite sue me. I like heaps of them on _me_ but not other people."

"Do you like slender or beefcake? Like, Yuj or Gadot?"

Fang's nose crinkled. "Ew. Serah. No. Lithe and athletic for me thanks. I'd rather not have someone look like a condom full of walnuts."

Lightning choked on her drink. Serah rolled her eyes. "Claire said the same thing…"

"Well, I said that I didn't want someone who looked like they were a balloon animal." Everyone around the table laughed and Fang grinned broadly.

Snow's voice called out from the porch that the food was ready, and everyone made for the door to grab dinner except for Lightning and Fang. They sat there in silence, enjoying their drinks before Lightning finally broke it. "All of Serah's meddling in our love lives aside, how are you, really? How are things going back in the village?"

Fang shrugged and picked at the label on the bottle. "Yeah good, you know. Same old same old. 'Nille's working her stuff down at the local hospital, and I just… You know." Lightning nodded solemnly. She knew her friend was the only one without any true sense of direction in the new world, having spent her entire life either fighting in battles or in crystal stasis.

Vanille was more than happy to take up the role of a healer in their village and in return she and Fang were given lodgings on the outskirts. Fang didn't need to work to keep a roof over their heads, but she needed to work to stay busy. She had been taking odd jobs here and there, floating between labourer jobs, security, anything that kept her busy with her hands. She often put on the jovial front but she let it slip around Lightning, showing a bit more of a melancholic regression as the years had passed. The pinkette appreciated the honesty but was naturally still troubled by the mood.

"Listen… I've got a dig coming up in Iemen in a few weeks; if you and Vanille have finished your travels by then why not come with me? I could certainly use the help, and the company." She watched as Fang's eyes lit up but then quickly stifled her reaction as she maintained her composure.

"Yeah, sounds cool I guess…"

"There'll likely be bandits on the site you get to beat up…"

Her eyes lit up again and a grin tugged at her face. "Sounds like my kinda date, Sunshine." She said with a wink and Lightning chuckled. "Hey, while I think of it. Did a reporter bird run into you recently? Her name was… Aoede I think. Came to our village just before we left on our trip. Thought she meant bad business but she'd already met your sister at that point."

The pinkette's eyebrows rose and she thought back to the person she'd met on the train coming here. "Actually yes, I saw her on the train just today."

"Really," Fang breathed and took another sip of her beer. "She grill you like there was no tomorrow?"

Lightning shook her head. "No, she… Said that while it was the opportunity of a lifetime she had somewhere else she needed to be. But thanked me for saving her nonetheless. Thought she was going to put up more of a fight but… If she'd spoken to my sister already, and you two…"

"And Snow. And Sazh. And Hope. And Noel. And the NORA guys.." Fang added.

"Wow. It must have been something pretty huge if she'd worked that hard to get all the information but not try to push for an interview with me…"

"I think I have an idea of what it was…" Fang replied, looking over at the TV in the lounge room. She slowly got up and walked over to it, seeing a familiar face on the screen. Lightning followed and gasped when she recognised the reporter standing near a war zone.

"That's her! Turn that up."

" _-Middle of the conflict zone in the hopes that we can get two sides to see reason. This is a historic occasion to be able to get both leaders from either side of the war to sit down and attempt peace talks. Again this is Aoede reporting live from the capital of Praga in Txeca._ "

"Wow Sunshine, looks like your story got upstaged by the little bird there wanting to do her own bit to save the world," Fang said with a lop-sided grin. Lightning turned to regard the brunette. Her eyes flashed down to her lips and back up again. This time Fang caught the falter in her gaze but didn't comment on it, mind whirling however with curiousity.

The others had come in with their various plates of food and sat scattered on the couches and on the floor, watching the footage roll in. Lightning and Fang moved to the back of the room as the talks commenced, yet to grab their own food and still nursing their drinks. Bartholomew watched with a firm gaze intensely glued to the screen. As a diplomat working out of Alemanya, the conflict was close to the Estheim's doorstep, threatening to spill over the border at any minute. Nora held his hand firmly with a smile as the others in the room talked quietly amongst themselves.

"Didn't even think the peace talks were possible, let alone happening today." Snow said as he sat down on one of the couch arms, holding Serah in his lap. Everyone was still in high spirits with the gathering, though an air of tension was starting to settle in the room as the negotiations were being broadcast live.

Lightning watched with a set jaw, staring dead ahead at the screen. A tanned finger snaked around and tilted her jaw away from the television until she was looking into concerned jade eyes. "It's not your fight anymore Sunshine… Let them sort it out amongst themselves." Fang said gravely, her expression not faltering, nor did she remove her hand from the pinkette's jawline. Lightning's eyes darted to the ground as she felt her heart rate speed up from the touch.

"I…"

" _Somebody stop him!_ " A cry came from the screen and the room fell silent. A man ran into the negotiations with a bomb strapped to himself and Serah gasped.

" _This is for Order! Freedom from chaos! This is for Sanctum!_ " He cried, and then pressed a button in his hand. The screen went static just as the beginnings of an explosion were seen. Lightning held a hand to her mouth in horror as Serah buried her head in Snow's chest. Bartholomew's grip on Nora's hand was iron clad with white knuckles, and everyone in the room was generally silent. The screen flicked back on to the news studio with a clearly shaken desk reader.

" _There has been an explosion in Praga where the negotiations for the civil war were being held. It appears that the bomber was from known terrorist group Sanctum, who believe that the law should follow the creed of the Fal'Cie and want to resurrect them into the new world. The fanatics have been fuelling the war for a year now with increasing escalated violence. The local militia is on the scene of the bombing now, combing through the rubble for survivors. For more on this latest developing story we-_ "

Lebreau got up and muted the television, as Bartholomew's phone started to ring. He answered and spoke quietly into it, before hanging quickly. He looked around the room and then to his wife. Nora squeezed his hand and nodded. "I think our trip has just come to an abrupt end." She said sadly.

Hope's father stood and bowed his head. "I apologise. They've just called me back to the capital in the wake of… that… I'm sorry." Serah and Snow stood and helped them with their things to the door. Everyone at that point figured it was time to take their leave, and started making for the door as well. Vanille looked to Fang for guidance and her older sister shook her head. She wasn't about to leave Lightning alone after witnessing that.

"Come on, let's see everyone out and then 'Nille and I will stay to help clean up."

The pinkette merely nodded, the signs of shock evident on her face and in her movements. They all made their way to the door and exchanged hugs and handshakes with everyone as they departed until only the six of them remained. Serah had tears streaming down her face and Snow hugged her tight. Vanille then took her by the hand and led her into the kitchen to tidy up, with Snow following behind them. Fang took Lightning out the back to sit on the steps outside, handing her a harder drink than the beer. The pinkette downed it in a single gulp, and Fang did the same with her own.

Lightning held the glass in her hands, trying not to shake. She gazed up at the night sky, an orange tinge at the base of her peripherals from the fire in the backyard. Fang chanced a missing limb and wrapped an arm around the pinkette's waist. "I'm sorry, Light." She whispered as she held her friend close. Lightning turned to regard her companion and inhaled sharply when she realised how close they were.

"Why are you apologising?" She asked, confused. Fang blew out a breath that was tinged with frustration and stared at the fire at the base of the stairs.

"Just… It's all bloody stupid. I'm sorry that humanity is a pack of morons." The pinkette huffed quietly in agreement,

"Heh… What's that saying? Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it? In this instance it makes me wonder… If humanity would have been better off under Bhunivelze's rule, not remembering any of it."

Her face was grabbed suddenly and turned to find angry jade eyes boring into her. "I never want to hear you say that again, Light," Fang said firmly. "You did not go through everything you went through just to come out the other side with a shrug and a 'Maybe it was all for nought.' Never. Again. You hear me?"

The pinkette's eyes widened and she nodded stiffly. "Good." Fang continued, lowering her hand from Lightning's chin. "The thing about humans, Light, is that they're idiots. They don't learn from their past. And they will always find a way to repeat it. I've seen it three times over my millennia in the old world, and now we're seeing it again here. If not for them fighting over the memories, they'd find other reasons. Religion, geography, politics, economics, resources… Whatever excuse they need to be able to say 'That other guy looked at me funny, I'm gonna stab him!' We're all base creatures at the end of the day, we'll all find a reason to fight, feed and fuck." She finished her rant with a squeeze of her friend's waist.

"Don't get involved Light. You did all you could, that's all any of us could ask for." Fang's eyes widened as Lightning leaned into her, and rested a hand on her leg.

"Thank you, Fang." The two women sat in silence for a while, with Lightning nestled close to Fang. Something about the cocky Pulsian drove her up the wall at the best of times, but yet she never felt safer when she was around. A pull at her heart drew her to the brunette, "Don't think I'm not going to murder you for this in the morning though. I think I've just had too much to drink to care that you've got your arm around me."

Fang chuckled at the remark and decided to be even more daring, and kissed her gently on the head. "I'll live it up while I still can then I see."

They were interrupted by Vanille stepping out onto the porch, calling gently for her adopted sister. The two women untangled themselves and stood. "Fang… We just got an alert from the embassy. França is closing their borders in 24hrs in the wake of the bombing… We won't be able to get home to Ostrali if we don't get out before the borders close."

"Claire, that could affect you getting home too," Serah added, stepping onto the porch next to Vanille. Fang and Lightning looked at each other, neither secretly wanting to leave the other's side. The brunette sighed and scratched the back of her neck.

"Guess I might have to take a rain check on that trip to Iemen, Sunshine. Sorry that the festivities turned into a shit-fight love." Fang said apologetically, walking over to give the younger Farron a hug. Serah sniffed and hugged her tightly, not able to avoid admiring the strong form of the Pulsian.

" _Strong… Athletic.. Tall, dark hair, sense of humour, can definitely keep up with sis… It's like she was describing… Oh. OH_." She stood back and stared hard at Fang, eliciting a raised eyebrow from the taller woman.

"Everything ok Mini-Lightning?" She queried as she felt the younger Farron's eyes practically burned a hole through her. Serah's mind flashed back to her earlier conversation with Fang as well. Did either of them realise they were describing each other perfectly?

"Um yeah, it's fine. I'm gonna go help Vanille with the bags." She grabbed the redhead by the wrist and dragged her back inside.

"That was weird. Your sister is weird, Light." Fang commented, eyeing their respective retreating siblings.

"You have no idea."

"So… Are you still tipsy enough for me to hug you without being stabbed? I get a feeling with all this border stuff it's going to be a while until we see each other again." Fang said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Lightning smiled a little and nodded.

"Lady Luck is still on your side, Fang." She said as she watched the brunette's face erupt into an enormous smile. She yelped as she was bundled up in strong, tanned arms and held close. Eventually, Lightning relaxed and returned the hug, daring to inhale the brunette's spicy perfume and trying to commit it to memory.

Fang was doing the same, pressing her face into the top of Lightning's head and smelling the sweet rose that she'd come to know from the pinkette during their journeys. It fascinated her that throughout the millennia and from the old world to the new, she still smelt the same. They disengaged from each other and stared for a moment before Vanille appeared at the doorway again. They knew it was time for Fang to leave, and they reluctantly followed the redhead out to the car.

"Claire, Snow and I will take you back to the station so you can get back to Anglaterra before they shut the airports down," Serah said quietly, trying not to cry again. Lightning nodded and grabbed her bags as well. "I'm sorry this trip got cut short sis… I really wanted to spend some time this trip just hanging out."

Lightning nodded and gave her sibling a hug around the arms. "It'll be ok. They'll clear this up and then I'll get some time off between projects in about a month. I'll come back then." Serah looked hopeful as Snow loaded the elder Farron's bags in the back of their jeep. Lightning then walked over to the convertible and said her goodbyes to the Oerbans.

"Be well Sunshine, don't leave it another year before I see you again, yeah?" The Pulsian said as she fired up the engine. Vanille waved at the trio as they left the driveway, Fang's eyes on Lightning in the rearview mirror until they turned into the street and drove away.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN -_ As always, thanks for reading and tolerating this ongoing insanity and hoorayimuseful. tumblr. com for updates, art and 3d renderings of this and other stories!

* * *

A few months had passed since the yearly gathering in Barcelonnette, and Lightning was sitting at her desk idly looking out the window to the streets below. She buried herself in work to try to ignore the growing tensions across Europa, delving into archives to plot out her next expedition. She still kept in contact with everyone, but she found herself talking with Fang the most. Lightning often found herself staying up late into the night so that she could talk to her friend as she got up to start her day in Ostrali.

She sighed and wished the conflict would cease so that they could travel freely again, and she could plan that trip to Iemen with Fang by her side. The pinkette worried her lip with her teeth, concerned that the longer time went on with her friend out in the middle of nowhere with no proper direction, she would fall even deeper into a slump.

A knock at the door stilled her thoughts and she called out for them to come in. The door swung open to reveal Amodar in full uniform looking at his former cadet warmly. "Sir!" She exclaimed, launching straight into old habits and stood to salute him. The large man laughed deeply and waved her off dismissively.

"Come now Farron, you're not in the Guardian Corps anymore and certainly not even close to the military with an office this cluttered. You can stop with the formalities."

Lightning laughed at his response and welcomed him inside. "What brings you to Londres? Here to look at some fossils?"

"Actually," He said with a degree of hesitation, "We're here to see you."

"We?"

The door halted before Lightning could finish closing it, with Rygdea opening it again. "Hey pinky, long time no see!" He said with a grin as he turned around and helped bring a wheelchair inside. The person that occupied it was none other than Aoede, though looking worse for wear. Lightning suppressed a gasp as she gave the reporter a once over. She was bandaged everywhere, missing a leg and a hand, and had a covering over half her face.

"You survived the blast…" The pinkette concluded as she sat down at her desk in shock. Aoede laughed despite the pain.

"Not even death was going to claim me until I got that interview with you, Miss Farron." She joked with a cough before looking away. "I was lucky. I had just enough time to get behind a pillar before the bomber set himself off. Not everyone else shared that providence, unfortunately."

Lightning frowned as she stared at the other two in the room. "So why are you really here? The military wouldn't sanction a trip just for you to come interview me for your project that has nothing to do with the current conflict."

Amodar folded his arms and leant against one of her many filing cabinets. "Nothing gets past you Farron, never could. No. You're right. We're here because we... Need your help."

The pinkette wasn't surprised. She took off the glasses she was wearing and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You are aware that I'm retired now right? Saviour saved the world, the cape was hung up. I'm just a normal, regular person now."

"But you're not." Aoede piped up from her wheelchair, shifting around to make herself more comfortable. "I know you have been deliberately avoiding the conflict despite all the calls for you to voice your opinion on one side or the other but this is different. It's not the civil war we're worried about. It's Sanctum."

Lightning's ears stung from the name. "The organisation the bomber was reported to be with? Those with memories of the old world who refuse to let them go… I can't get involved. What am I supposed to do? I don't have the powers of a goddess here, or a L'cie, I'm just... Me."

Rygdea and Amodar shared a glance and the captain shook his head. "We know that Farron, we know this world doesn't play by the old rules. There's no magic or Fal'Cie to guide us, make us stronger. It's just flesh and bullets here. But we can't get to the countries that these guys are hiding in. You could. You know you don't have to waste your time on the paperwork, just one look at you and the border guards of any country would let you in. We leave you be because you've earnt your rest and your privacy but everyone still knows exactly who you are."

Lightning looked at the piles of paperwork on her desk that she did for a sake of normalcy. She knew they weren't needed, but she still did it nonetheless, to prove to herself she was human. Nightmares still plagued her from time to time, where she would find herself bound to Etro's throne once more, surrounded by chaos. If only Serah knew the reason she avoided relationships was because she didn't want people to know she woke up screaming, drenched in sweat. She wouldn't find anyone who would understand, let alone tolerate it.

"Listen Light, here's a card with mine and Amodar's details on it. If you change your mind give us a call, please?" Rygdea said as he passed it to her. They took their leave, Amodar opening the door to allow him to push Aoede's wheelchair out of the office. The young reporter put a hand on his arm to stop him and strained to turn her neck to regard the pinkette one last time.

"I understand you know. You had all that power and now you have none and you feel like there's nothing you could do. But I was a nobody and I still tried to do something." The three of them left Lightning's office and left her alone to her thoughts.

At the end of the day, she returned to her home to her modest apartment in a complex south of the city, the day heavy on her mind. She huffed as she dumped her bag at the door, and went and got changed into workout wear. Making her way to the gym in the complex, Lightning first attempted to run her thoughts out on the treadmill. When that didn't work, she stopped and towelled herself off as she eyed the nearby boxing bag.

"I'm not the Saviour anymore…" She whispered to herself, annoyed with the assumption that she could just leap back into the fray. "I'm not even military. I wouldn't even know where to begin with any of this!" She stormed over to the boxing bag and began to hit it, working it over from every angle as her routine grew in intensity. Her eyes widened as she realised her muscle memory was intact, and she ran through every last drill she could bring to mind.

Lightning looked over at the nearby wall and suddenly ran towards it, taking a few steps up it and flipping backwards onto the mats.

"Well, shit."

* * *

Serah's phone rang as she was getting ready to go to work, and she picked it up without breaking from her routine. "Hey sis, you're calling early for a change?"

"Hey Serah," Lightning's voice came down the phone. "I… Need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?"

"For you? Of course!" The younger Farron replied cheerfully down the phone, balancing it on her shoulder as she tied her hair up for the day.

"Good. Please open the door then because it's freezing out here."

"Wha…" Serah frowned, confused, before she walked to the front door and opened it. Lightning was standing there, hanging up the phone and hurriedly coming inside.

"Thanks. Why you picked the Alps of all places to live is beyond me. We grew up on a beach for Etro's sake."

The younger Farron stared in disbelief, rubbing her eyes in case she was still asleep. She reached out a tentative finger and poked her sister in the arm. "You're not a dream! You're actually here!" She cried out and dropped her phone, leaping into her sister's arms.

"Easy now!" Lightning said with a wistful smile. "Is Snow still here? I need to talk with him too."

Serah withdrew from her sister, concerned. Something must be up if she willingly wants to talk with him as well… She retreated to the bedroom momentarily to fetch her husband, and even he was dubious about the elder pinkette's sudden appearance. They all sat in the kitchen after Serah had made coffee for everyone and Lightning drew a breath.

"So, that reporter from Praga, she's alive. She came to see me along with Rygdea and Amodar a few days ago." Lightning began, looking around the table at her family. "This Sanctum cult is… gaining a lot of traction in Txeca and surrounds. They came to ask for my help."

"Naturally you're going, otherwise you wouldn't be here telling us any of this." Snow chimed in, earning a glare from both sisters. He meeped and hid behind his coffee mug, becoming very interested in its contents. Lightning sighed and scratched at the back of her hand.

"Snow is right. I… Can't sit back anymore and pretend it isn't happening. The civil war is bad enough but this group… They want to find a way to resurrect the Fal'Cie. It isn't possible but… They are killing a lot of people in the name of the dead gods and I can't… Stand by… Not be involved anymore."

Serah took her sister's hand and held it tightly. "You're not going in alone Claire. I'm coming too."

"Okay."

Serah and Snow stared at Lightning, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. "Wait, what? You… Never let… What?" Lightning smiled at her young sibling and shrugged.

"You travelled through time, across centuries alongside Noel and fought with everything you had. You're more than capable of handling yourself, and as I've recently discovered you would likely be able to pick up a bow and be able to use it immediately. We may not have magic or the Eidolons anymore, but we've somehow retained our skills as well as our memories. I would be happy to have you fight by my side."

Snow leant back in his chair and openly gawked at his sister-in-law. "Wow sis, you really have changed."

"Shut up, Snow." Lightning replied with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, I have a flight tomorrow out to Ostrali to go talk to Fang. Then I figured we'll meet back here and head out to Polònia where Amodar and Rygdea are stationed." Serah grinned knowingly at her sister and wiggled her eyebrows.

"You sure you're just going to talk?"

"As opposed to what?" Lightning asked, incredulous. Serah patted her hand and stood to take the cups to the kitchen sink.

"Oh, I dunno.. I thought tall, dark-haired, athletic chatty types were your thing?"

"SERAH. I do not have a… A _thing_ for Fang!" Lightning yelled, mortified at her sister's accusation. Snow made a tactful retreat from the kitchen altogether in case he was about to get punched on principle for his existence.

"There's nothing wrong with it Claire, I think she'd be good for you!"

"Serah. I am not. Attracted. To Fang." Lightning was adamant. Just because she was tall, and had that wild dark hair that she used to dream about running her fingers through during their thirteen days on the run, and that tattoo on her toned arm that used to always draw her attention, and that damnable smirk she wanted to wipe off her face with her lips…

Or the night at the gathering, how she felt so warm and safe with the brunette's arm around her, and how if she'd had any more alcohol in her system and the night hadn't gone to hell she might have ended up kissing her…

Or the fact that she spoke with the Pulsian constantly, and didn't feel right going to sleep if she hadn't heard from her… and was about to get on a plane to the middle of nowhere in order to hopefully get her help and once again be by her side…

No. She was not attracted to Fang.

"We'll see…" The younger pinkette muttered under her breath, completely unconvinced. "Oh, in any case, knowing Fang the way she is, if she offers you something called Vegemite, refuse it. No matter how amazing she makes it sound. I've seen way too many videos on the internet of people from Amieryka getting tricked into eating it by Ostralyens. It's vile."

* * *

Lightning drove across the Oxley highway to make her way out to Guneda. The air was dry and warm which is probably how Fang and Vanille liked it, though she currently had the windows closed and the air conditioning cranked. The travel time was brutal and she spent a day or two in the city of Sidnej until she got her bearings, and decided to make the drive instead. She'd had enough of planes to last her for a while now.

Her GPS beeped to notify her she was approaching the town, and she killed the music as she pulled into a local gas station to re-fuel. She was thankful for her planning and checking the weather before she left, dressed in a striped tank top and high cut shorts to survive the summer. She smiled to herself as she entered the station to pay, with the cashier chatting away to another customer, sounding exactly like her Oerban companions.

The man behind the counter didn't look up as Lightning approached and handed over a bottle of water to pay for as well. "I was hoping you could help me with directions if that's alright?" She asked, and the cashier rolled his eyes.

"Dunno what you would be doing in a place like this darlin', there's bugger all out this way that'd be of interest to a…. Tourist…" He trailed off as he looked up, the recognition instantaneous. "You… You're… You're the.."

"Please. I'm just a tourist as you say. Nothing more." She said pointedly. He seemed to understand and gulped.

"I'm guessing that means you're after Fang and Vanille then, yeah?" She nodded in response and he pulled out a map. "They're off a dirt road here, which is why it won't show up on your GPS. Vanille's working down at the hospital today, but Fang will be there."

He scribbled directions down on the map and handed it to her free of charge. "It's the least I could do, all things considered, ma'am." She thanked him and left the station, getting back in her rental car and heading off in the direction provided. Driving for about another twenty minutes, stomach getting more twisted the closer she got to her destination. She glared at herself in the rearview mirror for allowing Serah's accusations to get into her head.

The plains opened up to farmland until she found her destination, a dirt track off the main road that led up into a property that bordered on a small national park. It would have been perfect for Fang, who would relish the quiet, and the opportunity to hunt, depending on the game out there. She wondered what would constitute as _game_ in this country and was certain from her cursory glance at the travel brochure, there was nothing that came close to the behemoths in this world. A fact which she was thankful for. Lightning drove down the long driveway, looking for the house until it finally came into view.

She killed the engine and got out of the car, blasted by a hot, dry wind that tussled her hair. Lightning blew it out of her face and took her sunglasses off to observe the home. It was a modest build, but all designed to live off the land with water tanks, windmills and solar panelling. Stables were nearby the house and she could hear the quiet nickering of a horse from within, and she smiled at the chickens pecking about the yard. One, in particular, was black with a fluffy mop on the top of its head and she held back a laugh. _I bet Vanille brought that one home because it reminded her of Fang…_ She thought with a snicker.

The same blaring metal music from inside the house could be heard as Lightning ascended the steps and she hovered her hand at the door before she finally exhaled. "Shut up Serah, I am not attracted to Fang." She growled to herself and knocked.

"Just a sec!" She heard the brunette call out from inside as the music lowered. The door swung open and there was Oerba Yun Fang, standing in nothing but her black underwear. The two stared at each other in shock for a moment before the Pulsian yelped and slammed the door again.

Lightning's mouth opened and closed a couple of times while her brain processed that image. " _I am not… Attracted… To Fang…_ "

The door opened again as Fang managed to find a pair of shorts and was in the middle of pulling a shirt over her head. While her face was obscured Lightning looked down at the tanned abdomen on display and her jaw dropped. Defined muscles were rippling along the skin and a well-toned six-pack complimented her overall form. She had obviously been working on it, as Lightning couldn't remember her being so built back when she traipsed around in that damned sari.

"Shit Light, you gotta give a girl some warning before you rock up on their doorstep! I thought you were an overzealous door-knocker come to sell me something." Fang exclaimed as the last of the shirt was pulled over her head. Lightning's jaw snapped shut and she coughed nervously.

 _I am… Not… Attracted… To Fang…_

"Do you always answer your door to salespeople in your underwear?" She asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. Fang grinned and gestured for the pinkette to come inside out of the heat.

"I like to give them a scare. One kid practically fell down the stairs and ran up the driveway this one time, completely forgot his car! It was hilarious. Come on in ya cheeky mongrel, let me get you a drink! It's so good to see you!" She chanced an arm around Lightning's waist in a quick side-hug and then retreated into the kitchen, the pinkette's eyes drifting down to her rear as she left.

 _I am… Not… Attr… Fuck you, Serah._ Lightning thought with an angry expression. It was still on her face when Fang returned with beers for the two of them and she slowed up, her grin faltering.

"Hey, sorry if I gave you the scare of your life there Light, I wasn't expecting visitors today and was in the middle of a workout."

"Huh? What? Oh. No that's ok. I was _…_ Thinking about something I needed to hit Serah for." She took the offered beverage and Fang's smile returned.

"Cheers Light." Their bottles clinked and they both took a drink, Fang's eyes never leaving the pinkette. "So, what brings you all this way out here to see little old me? Come into the kitchen, I'll fix you something to eat."

Lightning followed her into the kitchen, eyeing off the tattoos. There were a few new additions in the last month that she hadn't been sent photos of, and was admiring them across Fang's toned arms. Her favourite was still the original gorgonopsid though. "Things were getting hectic back home and I wanted to come see you, and to ask for your help."

Fang turned around with a raised eyebrow and sat on the bench. "Out with it Sunshine, something's obviously bothering you for you to have travelled this far."

"It's about that Sanctum terrorist organisation, you know the group behind that bombing in Praga from a few months back?"

"Oh no. No you don't. Absolutely not." Fang said, folding her arms and glaring at the pinkette. "I told you back at Serah's place the night it happened not to get involved!" Lightning rolled her eyes, anticipating this argument while still on the plane over.

"Fang, they're operating under the banner of the Fal'Cie. They want to resurrect the old gods by terrorising the new world in their name. I can't sit back and do nothing anymore."

"Come on Lightning, you've gone to hell and back for these people. You've done your time. Why throw your lot into the fire again? Aren't you tired of it?" Fang asked with a wave of her arm. Lightning shrugged and leant against the kitchen bench.

"Of course I'm tired. But I didn't go through all of that to have everyone screw it up now because they can't get along, or let go of the past."

Fang reached over and took her by the hand with a solemn expression. The pinkette flinched at the contact but didn't pull away. "This isn't like Cocoon or Gran Pulse… Or any of that. We're not L'cie anymore. We don't have our Eidolons to pull our arses out of the fire if it all goes south." She said quietly, looking at their hands.

Lightning smiled, reading between the lines with what she was saying. "Why do you think I came to you? I wasn't going to do this alone, and I needed help. There's nobody else in the world I'd trust more to have my back than you."

Fang's jaw hung open, eyes widened at the frank admission and honest plea.

"Don't look at me like that. So it took half a millennium and the world ending for me to learn to stop being stubborn about asking for help." The pinkette said with a scowl, folding her arms. Fang's head dropped as she let out an amused breath.

"How could I refuse an old friend? It'll be like old times, right?" The brunette finally replied, raising her eyes to meet Lightning's with a warm gaze. The same thing the Saviour had said to the leader of the bandits back in Ruffian, with five hundred years between meetings. It was a promise; that they would always be there for one another regardless. Lightning smiled and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't have a heart attack now.." She said and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the Pulsian's neck. "Thank you."

Fang froze, startled at the unexpected affection coming from the pinkette. She awkwardly put her arms around Lightning's waist and finally relaxed. "Come on Sunshine," she said as she pulled back. "You've come all this way, stay the night and we'll plan our trip in the morning."

"You mean it? You're coming with?"

The brunette shrugged as she went to the fridge and grabbed a couple more beers. "Could never say no to you. What about your sister? Snow? You did something stupid to keep her home and safe?"

Lightning accepted the offered beverage with a gentle smile before it faltered at the mentioning of her sister. "Actually, no. She said she was coming with before Snow even said anything." She admitted, "So I wasn't about to go repeating past mistakes and try to stop her. She's proven herself more than capable over our journeys."

The brunette stared at her wide-eyed and she scoffed. "Fang, I would like to think I have learned _some_ lessons over the centuries."

Shaking her head, Fang leant against the bench once more and regarded her old friend. She seemed determined and stubborn as ever when it came to practically insurmountable odds, but Lightning was more honest about her feelings and intentions now. She appeared calmer, happier somehow. The smiles that frequently lit up her face were a thing of awe to behold, and something that Fang ached to have waited for millennia to witness. She got up from the bench and gestured Lightning to follow into the lounge room. "Let's just have one night at least of this strange normalcy before we go diving into the fray again. Movie?"

Lightning nodded and trailed behind Fang, eyes raking over her form. The Pulsian had every bit the cocky swagger that she remembered. Despite the lack of constant peril for her in the new world, Fang still trained hard to retain her muscular form. She even still sported the same tattoo on her bicep, something she was told was the first thing the brunette sorted out when she woke up in the new world without it. There were now a few more additions to the ink work, Fang having decided that she enjoyed the process and wanted a few more reminders.

The pinkette smiled, remembering every impromptu text from her that showed a picture of the new tattoos she'd acquired; a small red cardinal bird for Vanille, an ice crystal for Snow, a compass for Hope, a feather for Sazh and of course, a lightning bolt for herself. A small detail that never escaped the former Saviour, hers was the first image of the group that Fang had gotten, even before Vanille's.

She sat on the couch as Fang rifled through the movies to find something both of them could watch. Lightning swung an arm over the back cushion and rest her head against her hand, lazily observing the crouched form in front of the TV. The dark shorts, black tank top and bare feet were a departure from that revealing sari she ran about in back in the old world, but Lightning had to admit the attire was still somewhat alluring regardless.

 _God dammit Serah. I'm going to kill you when I get back…_ She shook the inappropriate thought from her mind and cleared her throat.

Fang turned to regard the pinkette with a smile. "Vanille will be back soon from the village later on this evening once she finishes her shift. But until then, was there anything you were in the mood for?" She took her attention back to the discs at the TV and started rattling off the various genres before they both settled on an explosion-fest action movie. Fang popped the movie into the player and leapt over the coffee table to flop onto the couch next to Lightning.

They watched the movie together and laughed at some of the more ridiculously outlandish action scenes, all the while Lightning acutely aware of how close they were on the couch. At some point during the proceedings Fang had procured more drinks, and the pinkette found herself relaxing more the further into the bottle they got.

"Fang… Can I ask you something?" She said, trying hard to avoid the subtle slur that was beginning to creep into her speech.

"Hm?"

"You don't… Stay here and drink and watch shitty action movies all day do you?"

Fang laughed and took a drink from her glass. "No Sunshine, I don't. I have been working night shift down at the local pub as security and you thankfully caught me on a day off. I try to keep myself busy so I don't go insane. This place reminds me a lot of Oerba, of home, but it doesn't have the same sense of constant threats and danger as Gran Pulse had. Not as wild. Makes me itchy sometimes I guess."

"You miss it don't you?"

"Sometimes," The brunette admitted, "But you know, that place _was_ hell. As much as I gave Sazh shit for calling it as such. It feels weird to not have to be constantly… _On_ all the time, primed for a fight… But it's good at the same time. I don't regret any of what happened. Wouldn't have gotten to meet you and your gorgeous arse otherwise…" She paused as she thought over her words. "Shit I said that last part out loud didn't I?"

Lightning swallowed hard and tried to calm her racing heart. Fang looked over at the wide-eyed expression she was receiving and winced. "Sorry. I didn't… I didn't mean anything by it. I know that it's _not your thing_ or whatever. But you know. You're beautiful. Capable, strong, furious in battle, intelligent, and just amazing. I couldn't help but fall for you when we were together back in Gran Pulse. The feelings never left even when we saw each other again in Ruffian." She said, watching the pinkette's face start to turn the same colour as her hair. "And even now I… Sorry I'll just shut up now before I can't get out of this hole I've dug myself into."

The former saviour stared hard at her friend. It was one thing to have an attraction she didn't want to admit she had, but when that attraction was returned... When those feelings were shared… "Fuck it." Lightning breathed and surged forward, grabbing Fang by the shirt and pulling her into a passionate kiss. The Pulsian gasped as their lips met, the sound muffled by the action.

Lightning ran her fingers through Fang's dark, wild hair and groaned into her mouth. The sound lit the brunette's abdomen on fire and she pulled Lightning into her lap. She bit the pale woman's bottom lip, eliciting a pleasured whimper from her. "Gods... I've wanted to do that for five hundred years, Light." She whispered. Centuries of longing poured into the kiss, the intensity of which made tears prick in Fang's eyes.

"Stop talking." The pinkette muttered between kisses as she straddled Fang's waist, running her hands underneath her shirt. The Pulsian gasped at the contact and her hips bucked forward a little on the couch. Lightning ran her tongue along her lips, and Fang's mouth parted wider to let her in. Finally, this was something the pinkette could control. She never had to hold back around Fang, in battle, in sparring, or now in passion. The Pulsian moaned as her tongue was massaged and breasts were groped with the pinkette's dominant advances.

They were almost desperate in their movements, like time would suddenly vanish into the chaos once again if they let go of each other. Fang felt a hand slip down her stomach and underneath the band of her shorts. She gasped into Lightning's mouth and grabbed her roughly on the rear.

Just as Fang's hands moved up to start unbuttoning the pinkette's shirt she swore she heard a door close, but shrugged it off as Vanille wasn't due home for another few hours. She pulled the shirt from Lightning's shoulders and leant up, kissing her neck and biting into it.

"Fang are you home? One of the villagers said they spotted Lightning so they let me go home… Early… Wow." Vanille trailed off as she stood in the doorway in shock, having walked in on her sister getting frisky with the former Saviour.

Lightning flew from Fang's lap and fell off the side of the couch, uncharacteristically clumsy of someone who could perform a backflip at will. The redhead smiled knowingly at Fang's sheepish expression as the two women fought to calm their heavy breathing in the wake of being caught.

"You know this means I owe Serah twenty bucks now, right Fang?" Vanille said with a cheeky grin.

"I'm going to kill her…" Lightning's muffled reply came from the floor beside the couch.

"Vanille? Or Serah?" Fang queried.

" _Pick one_."

The redhead giggled and waved. " _Hi_ _Lightning_ , I'd come give you a hug but it seems that Fang has that department more than covered at this point."

"Vanille!"

"Well seeing as my sister is being _more_ than accommodating, I'm going to go back to work and finish the rest of my shift. I'll be home for dinner later. I'll even lay on the horn coming up the driveway so you have time to make yourselves decent…" She sauntered out of the lounge room and left the house, texting Serah as she departed.

: _Serah! You're never going to believe what I just walked in on…_ :

Lightning wasn't getting up until she heard Vanille's car leave the driveway. Fang's head peeked over the side of the couch to regard the prone woman on the floor. "You want me to get you a blanket or something?"

The pinkette opened her eyes and stared back up at the woman. "How much time do we have before your sister comes back?"

"Uh, about three hours I think."

"Good." Lightning said as she sat up and allowed Fang to help her from the floor. "Take me to your room so we can catch up on five hundred years of lost time."

The brunette's eyes widened and she grinned, picking Lightning up and carrying her to the bedroom. She kicked the door shut and gently put her prize down on the bed. Fang walked back to her door and locked it, before turning around with a mischievous grin. "Now where were we…"


	3. Chapter 3

True to her word, a car horn blared the entire way down the driveway as Vanille approached the house. Lightning and Fang both rolled their eyes as the pinkette took a sip of her coffee on the kitchen bench. She sat there with a lazy grin on her face as she watched Fang cook dinner, wearing a pair of black shorts and a black crop top, eerily reminiscent of the one she used to wear under her Sari. The brunette hummed to herself as she flipped a few steaks on the stove, clearly intent on putting on a show.

Lightning wasn't complaining, of course, there was something freeing to be able to be so open with her feelings towards Fang. She didn't have to hide them under behind the glacier she used as her emotional armour, it melted away and left her feeling even happier than when she could finally be at peace in the new world. The grey shirt she wore of Fang's draped half off her shoulder and brought a smile to her face every time she inhaled deep and smelt the Pulsian on her skin.

Vanille entered the kitchen with a hand over her eyes, feeling for the bench with her free arm. "We're decent, Vanille." Lightning said with an amused sigh, and she saw a light green eye peek from between fingers.

"Oh. Good. Much better. Some warning would have been nice, Lightning!"

The pinkette blushed and she looked towards Fang for support. "Don't look at me like that Sunshine, she meant with you visiting, not with her walking in on us uh, getting _reacquainted_."

"I can mean two things you know.." Vanille mused while tapping her chin, and her older sister threw a towel at her head.

Lightning laughed and smiled warmly at the redhead. "It's good to see you again so soon, Vanille." She said with a gentle squeeze of her hand. "You both have a beautiful house here. Designed to be self-sufficient I gather?"

"Yep, no living on the grid for us- Just off the land as the cycles provide. As is the Oerban way, even if there isn't an Oerba anymore." Fang replied as she began to plate the meal and served it to the other women. She'd prepared some salad with the steaks, too hot to have anything else at that time of year.

"Oh!" Vanille piped up, animated and smirking. "Did you see the chicken with the fuzzy hair? The black one? I bought it because it reminded me of Fang."

"Ha, I knew it." Lightning said while side-eyeing the brunette's scowl.

"I don't look like a bloody chicken 'Nille."

"Sure you do. You even sound like one when you squawk after being caught red-handed in Lightning's pants."

Fang glared at her younger sister and Lightning stifled a laugh. "Don't you encourage her Sunshine, you know your sister is going to be just as bad, if not worse." She growled with a pointed finger in Lightning's face. The pinkette's face fell as she realised that was going to be the case.

"Meddling demons…" She muttered as she tucked into her meal. The seasoned steak melted in her mouth and she couldn't help but groan. "Gods, why didn't I make you do the cooking while we were all on the run… This is amazing." Fang grinned wide at the appraisal and fetched water for everyone.

Later after the meal was finished the three women were seated out the back on the deck and Vanille was grinning at the repeated smiles Lightning and her sister were giving each other. "All endless joking aside, I am really happy that you guys finally… You know. You both deserve to be happy."

"Thanks 'Nille." Fang replied with a gentle smile.

"So when are we all leaving?"

"Huh?" Lightning and Fang looked at each other, confused.

"I've already quit the job down at the hospital, or rather, indefinite leave of absence at this stage, and I've organised someone to come look after the place while we're gone," Vanille explained to the blank faces she was getting. "I know you're not just here to sort out that whole unrequited love business with my sister Lightning, Serah's already filled me in. I'm coming too and apparently, you've learnt not to argue!"

"You know we don't have our magic anymore here 'Nille… It's going to be dangerous."

"Oh shoosh Fang, you know I am more than capable of handling myself. Besides if that's the case you're more than definitely going to need a trained combat medic with the way you two always run into trouble head first.."

Lightning shrugged. "She's got a point Fang. We need all the help we can get."

"You gonna ask Sazh and Hope to come along on this ludicrous adventure?" Fang asked, ignoring both of them. The pinkette shook her head while texting on her phone.

"They've… Been through hell and managed to get their family back through a miracle. It'd be wrong to ask them to leave all that. And honestly, would you leave Vanille behind while you jumped into the fray?"

"Ok, all the earlier incredible sex aside, this whole new open and accepting 'whatever will be will be' thing you have going on is weirding me out." Fang said crudely, and Lightning shot her a glare.

"At. Any. Rate." The pinkette ground out between her teeth. "If you're both looking to come with me, I've already made the appropriate arrangements. Another few days here, and then we'll leave Sunday. We head back to França, meet up with Serah and Snow and then to Polònia."

Fang stood up and cleared the table, and left to go pack, advising Vanille she should do the same. Lightning's phone buzzed, and she found a text message from her sister.

: _Told you :3 I'm always right, you should listen to me more!:_

Lightning groaned and tried not to break the screen as she replied.

: _Enough, or I'm going back to hating Snow on a regular basis.:_

A sad face was the only response she received. Satisfied she'd silenced her sister for at least a few hours, she got up and followed Fang into her bedroom, leaning on the door frame.

"So, incredible huh?"

Fang nearly tore the shirt she was holding in half from fright. "For fuck's sake Farron, how can you be so silent when you walk around?" The pinkette smirked and meandered up to her, walking her fingers along the tanned shoulder.

"Oh I don't know… Years of practice maybe… I need to keep you on your toes somehow." Lightning said as she wrapped her arms around Fang's neck.

"To be honest, Sunshine, I'd prefer you keep me off them." The brunette replied with a waggle of her eyebrows. Lightning laughed and ran a hand over her tanned neck.

"You're insatiable." The pink haired woman mused and licked her bottom lip at the darkening of those jade eyes.

Fang yelped as she was pushed backwards onto the bed, and Lightning leapt on top of her, pinning her wrists above her head.

"Well if you insist on being off your feet…" Lightning purred as she bit into Fang's neck and suckled at the skin, causing the brunette to writhe and moan.

At the other end of the house, Vanille rolled her eyes and turned up the volume on her music.

* * *

They spent a couple more days at the homestead, Lightning felt it was important that the Oerbans spent as much time in their home and with their farm as they could, just in case. They'd both fought long and hard for the lives they had, and it was hard to ask them to up and leave it to head into danger once more.

Fang had discovered that underneath that ice fortress Lightning hid away in, behind all that razor-sharp control the woman held onto, was an absolute storm of fury. The amount of passion she felt in every smouldering glance, ever kiss, every touch, it threatened to undo her. It was hard to keep her hands off the pinkette now that she finally had her. Somewhere deep in the recesses of her mind, she truly felt that if Lightning had have been the one to become Ragnarok, Cocoon would have been torn from the sky in a single swipe.

She had also discovered much to her depraved glee, that for all of the pinkette's blustering about her stealth abilities, she was completely incapable of staying quiet. That was proven the morning of their departure while they were in the shower when she managed to get Lightning to scream her name.

Vanille glared at her sister as Fang entered the kitchen and made for the toaster. "What?" She asked the glowering redhead.

"I know you're both making up for lost time but seriously. You're going to scar me for life."

Fang ruffled her hair, causing her to grimace in protest. She leant down to her younger sister and grinned. "You can't tell me that it isn't hot."

Vanille went bright red and spluttered. "I'm… I'm not dignifying that with a response, you fiend!"

"Dignifying what with a response?" Lightning asked as she entered the kitchen still drying her hair. Fang bit her lip as she watched the pink hair get tussled about, and Vanille smacked her on the arm.

"Focus, please! You're not going to devour her on the kitchen table while I'm trying to have breakfast!"

"Well, there goes my morning plans then.." Fang pouted and fixed up her toast on the bench. "Oh, Lightning you've gotta try this stuff, I think we wouldn't have gone to war in the first place if we had this back in Gran Pulse. It's called Vegemite, you'll love it."

"Oh no you don't, Serah warned me about that stuff and how it appears to be a national past time to trick people into eating it. It sounds absolutely vile and I won't have it." Lightning growled in warning as she folded her arms defensively. Fang stared at the pinkette for a few seconds, contemplating dragging out the façade but once Serah's gotten in her ear there was no hope.

"Bloody snitch of a Farron…" She muttered and bit into her slice.

After breakfast, they finished tidying up and waited for the colleague from Vanille's work to show up. Once she had and the Oerban sisters had shown her the ropes of the property, it was time to leave. Fang stared at the home from Lightning's rental car and sighed. The pinkette put an arm around her waist and hugged gently.

"We'll come back here as soon as we're done." She said quietly.

Fang shook her head and squeezed her back. "I have a feeling we won't be. Whatever happens from here, good or bad, this will probably be the last time I see this place. But it's ok. As long as I have you, any place we are is home."

"Sap!" Vanille yelled from behind the car as she shut the trunk.

"Oh fuck off, 'Nille."

They drove off the property, the villager tasked with looking after the place waving them off. Fang loaded up the map on Lightning's GPS and hummed as she plotted out the route. It'd be about a six-hour drive going inland but would miss all the traffic. Plus it took them through less populated areas, which she would be happy with. Fang had only been to the capital a few times since moving out to Ganeda, too many people made her feel claustrophobic.

A few hours into the drive Vanille had already nodded off in the back seat, and the pair in front kept the music low so as not to wake her. Fang turned to watch her for a minute with a smile.

"She's come a long way hasn't she?" Lightning commented with a nod in her direction. "I'm really proud of her."

Vanille cracked one eye open and grinned like a maniac, but Fang hushed her with wide eyes.

"It can't have been easy growing up in the war for either of you, losing your parents so young. But I'm glad you two found each other." Lightning continued while Fang's gaze flicked between her and Vanille constantly. "She hides a lot of her strength, which is why it came as a surprise so often when we were on the run when she stepped up and got things done. The.. Manically happy mood she's always in used to throw me off. Fang, if being with you means that she's a part of my family now too, I'm… Really happy about that. I care about her a lot."

"Aw Lightning! Who knew that underneath that hard armour you drag around all the time was a big ol' softie!" Vanille yelled and leaned forward, throwing her arms around the startled pinkette. Lightning swerved the car and fought to regain control, throwing a glare in the rearview mirror. Vanille meeped and sat back in her seat.

"Whoops. Sorry."

The three made it to the city after half a day's drive without any further dangerous hugging, and they opted to stay the night in a hotel to rest before the long haul flight back to França the following day.

Vanille requested a separate room away from the other two for sanity purposes and bade them goodnight. She knew that beds and five minutes alone together would mean more things she didn't need to be privy to.

Lightning stood on the balcony overlooking the harbour, watching the boats move through the water. They were all covered in various lights that made them look like floating lanterns. The city was loud even in the late evening as it never slept. People were moving about the docks in the restaurant district still having the time of their lives.

Tanned arms slid around her waist and she smiled contentedly as she leant back into the waiting body. Lightning tilted her neck to the side as Fang began to kiss it gently. "What's on that gorgeous mind of yours, love?" The brunette purred as she ran her fingers underneath the fabric of Lightning's shirt.

"Just looking at everyone here. This country is not without its own problems but it's so isolated from everything. The people down there have no care whatsoever that the rest of the world is falling apart."

Fang snorted as she pulled away to turn the pinkette around. "God help us if this place ever becomes the last bastion of humanity. They're not like us Light, they didn't go through everything we went through. It happened before you know. After the old world fell apart and everyone was stuck, they all just sorta hung about waiting for the end. They're all just repeating the same thing here too. They feel helpless so they just get on with their own lives in the hopes that something will just change on its own."

Lightning pressed into her chest and squeezed her tightly. "What's really going through your head at the moment Sunshine?" she asked, tilting up the pale jaw so she could get some eye contact.

"I'm just... Scared. Before I just did things because I had to, we had the mana drives, and then we had the magic of the L'cie. Here we don't. You're right. We don't have the eidolons. Odin isn't going to come save me in a knife edge moment of life or death."

"No," Fang replied and leant down to kiss her slowly, deeply. "But I will. I will be by your side every step of the way. I love you Lightning, I always have. After all this time I don't plan on letting you go."

Lightning stared at the brunette, tears threatening to fall. Fang caught one and wiped it off her cheek with her thumb. "Besides, to look at it in more practical terms you're nervous because you're rusty. When was the last time you picked up a weapon? Sparred? Used any of those skills still locked up in your head?" She asked, and already knew the answer from how rapidly those cerulean eyes darted away.

"We'll have time before we get into the thick of it love. We can do some training, work on getting all that muscle memory back which will return your confidence. What I witnessed the first time I laid eyes on you when you were taking on the entire execution squad to give Hope time to escape? That wasn't magic, or L'cie power, or Odin. It was all you. You'll get it back."

Lightning's eyes narrowed and a grin tugged at her lips. "Since when did you get so wise and insightful? Is this an age thing?"

Fang looked outraged and dragged her back into the room and threw her on the bed. "A hag joke! I'll bloody show you insightful you wretched woman!" Lightning's laughter turned to a gasp as the growling Pulsian descended.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN -_ More celebratory chapters for my incredible adult thing of buying a house this weekend... LIVING WITH THE IN-LAWS IS COMING TO AN END AFTER XMAS THANK FUCK...

* * *

It was a 23hr flight straight from Sidnej to P'ariz, which was exhausting for all three women. Though Vanille was delighted to have gotten a few photos at one point of Fang and Lightning curled up asleep in their seats, holding hands.

She sent the latest of them to Serah via the plane's wifi and got nothing but capital lettered screaming as a response. The couple were sleeping, the pinkette resting her head on Fang's chest, with a dreamy smile. The Pulsian was resting her cheek against the top of Lightning's head, a contented expression on her face as she stroked a captured arm with her thumb. Vanille found it positively adorable and lowered her phone to stare at them happily.

"You do realise that as soon as we're off this plane and in a safe place, I'm going to kill you, right 'Nille?" Fang growled as her eyes snapped open with a fierce glare. Vanille squealed and sat back down in her set in front of them.

Lightning's eyes fluttered open at the sound of Fang's voice and she realised she was staring straight at Pulsian's chest. She didn't even remember falling asleep. Quickly sitting up, she stretched her neck to get the kinks out of it from the awkward sleeping position.

"Sorry love, didn't mean to wake you. 'Nille is just being a fiend and sending photos of us to your sister." Fang said in a low voice once she was content her sibling was finally minding her own business. Lightning stretched around in her seat, trying to get comfortable. She murmured happily when Fang began to slowly massage the tension from her neck, leaning back into the Pulsian woman.

"How long d'we haff ta go?" Lightning slurred, still groggy from her sleep.

"About five hours. They'll be serving a meal shortly."

"Mmmm wake me when they put it in front of me." The pinkette purred and snuggled back into Fang's side. Her breathing evened out and Fang was content to be used as a pillow, especially if it meant she got to toy with the pale hair while she slept.

"Oh. V'nille," Lightning yawned, causing the redhead to turn in her seat, "Take anymore photos of us for Serah and I'm breaking your phone." She finished her sentence with utmost clarity, snapping her eyes open to stare icily at the young Pulsian. Fang bit her lip to stop from laughing as Vanille's eyes widened and she promptly sat back down, sticking headphones over her ears.

"By Etro I love you, Light." Fang whispered and relished the tiny smile on Lightning's face as the pink haired woman settled back in for sleep.

When the trio had finally arrived back at Serah's house in Barcelonnette they were all tired, jet lagged and cranky. Their mood lightened considerably after the younger Farron fed them and gave them all a much needed wine.

"So what's the plan from here?" Snow asked as they all sat around the table.

"We're not needed for a week or so at this stage, they gave me time to organise myself and whoever else was willing to come along. Gives us time to rest and start some re-training before we're due in Polonia." Lightning replied, swirling the wine around in her glass thoughtfully.

"Re-training?" Serah asked, eyeing her sister with confusion. Lightning shrugged and looked over at the brunette trying to be subtle about flexing, making those hard earned muscles along her arms ripple. She cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at the cheeky Pulsian, intent on not being distracted. It wasn't working.

"Well, Fang here is the only one who has been maintaining any sort of strength and combat training in the new world, and that's generally because she's a maniac."

"Hey!"

"That being said, she didn't have to try that hard to regain the skills and abilities she held. If we have the memories so too do we hold everything we were capable of before." Lightning finished and risked another glance over at Fang and instantly regretted it.

She knew that look she was being given, the jade eyes burning through her with need. The pinkette chastised herself. They were grown adults, not hormonal teenagers at the mercy of their own desires. Lightning squeezed her legs together at the table, uncomfortable that she was feeling that way at all, let alone barely restraining herself from launching across the table to take Fang then and there, in front of both their respective families.

 _This is ridiculous_. She thought with a glare in Fang's direction, who was doing her best to look innocent as she trailed a hand down the side of her neck, feigning a stretch.

Serah watched the two eyeing each other off like they were an oasis in a desert and inwardly groaned. Still, as much as it weirded her out she was happy that Claire was finally letting herself go, ceasing the endless duty she had towards protecting her little sister and doing someone- some _thing_ for herself for once.

"So if you two are done undressing each other with your eyes at my dining table, what's say I show you to your rooms and where the shower is?"

Lightning glared at her sister's audacity. "I was not… _Undressing_ her with my eyes Serah!" she exclaimed, outraged and embarrassed. _No, you were eye-fucking her instead you fiend.._ Her wayward mind protested.

"Mmmmhmm." Serah hummed and showed Fang to the spare room and the bathroom.

"Guess I'm showerin' first Sunshine?" Fang mused with a very suggestive twitch of her eyebrow. Lightning looked away, feeling ashamed of her wayward libido, especially with Serah within earshot.

"Guess so." She replied with a fold of her arms, sitting on the bed in the spare room.

"Hrmph. Suit yourself." Fang retreated into the bathroom, making sure to put an extra swagger in her step that caused Lightning's focus to zero in on her hips with laser point precision. The Pulsian drew one last sordid glance with the cockiest of smirks in her direction as the bathroom door was slowly closed.

Lightning huffed and eyed the room, counting the petals on a flower by the bed. Vanille, Serah and Snow were seated in the loungeroom, the younger Farron curious about the knowing smug look on the redhead's face.

"What is it Vanille?" She asked.

"Just wait for it."

"Wait for what?"

A loud aggravated sigh came from the spare room and the trio saw Lightning stalk across the hall before slipping into the bathroom and locking the door.

"That." Vanille replied, laughing as she got up and went to the stereo. "Trust me, you'll need this." She turned the music on and up causing Serah to scrunch her nose up.

"Ew Vanille. I don't need to know that much detail about my sister's sex life."

Snow shrugged and gave her a hug around the shoulder. "Come on Serah, Even I know how hard your sister's worked over the years, give her a break. Besides, it's not like you haven't gotten up to anything in that bathroom before…"

"Snow!" Serah yelled, blushing to her roots. Vanille laughed and hugged her sides.

"God you are such a prude, Serah."

A loud husky gasp interrupted their laughter and all three went quiet. Snow coughed and with slow movements carefully brought a cushion over, covering his lap. Vanille went bright red as she thought about what Fang had said to her back home. " _You can't tell me that it isn't hot.."_

Lightning's voice could be heard through the walls as the volume began to increase. Serah couldn't figure out why it was suddenly so hot and stuffy in the room, and why she needed to take Snow to bed as soon as possible. She heard her sister and Fang moan again and fidgeted around restlessly. _Well there's something I learnt about myself that years of therapy won't be able to fix…_ She thought with a mortified wince.

"Vanille?"

"Yes?"

"Turn the damn music up."

* * *

Fang had gone into the bathroom and closed the door with deliberate agonising slowness before hearing that satisfying click. She grinned smugly to herself as she peeled out of her clothes and turned on the water, immediately steaming up the bathroom.

Humming to herself, she slowly got in the shower and with the smile still plastered over her face she closed her eyes and silently counted.

"Three… Two… One…."

Click.

She continued to keep her back to the door, singing to herself as she lathered up the soap and delicately ran her hands all over her body. Fang could feel the glacial blue eyes boring into her and she loved the exhibitionist nature of her little show.

The sound of fabric hitting the ground caused Fang to open her eyes with glee, but she was startled by being pushed up against the shower wall hard. She gasped as her breasts hit the cold tiles and felt firm hands around her waist.

"Do you honestly think… You can make such a show of yourself out there… And get away with it?" Lightning growled, her voice ragged with need.

"But Light… Here? Now? In your sister's bathroom?" Fang enquired innocently, still intent on playing her game.

"I will take you when and where I please, Yun." She snarled and bit into the tanned shoulder in front of her. The Pulsian let out a gasp of desire, the pain mixing in with the pleasure throbbing between her legs. Fang felt a sudden pause in the pinkette's movements and she opened her eyes.

"Goddess… How are you doing this to me…?" Lightning whispered in a moment of clarity.

"Light?" Fang queried with a higher pitched voice than usual, already far too worked up for a cessation of their activities. She turned to find an uncertain gaze meeting her. She gently touched the pale jawline and smiled. "There's nothing wrong with letting yourself go Sunshine," Fang purred and she shivered as she saw Lightning's lips part.

"I just… Fang we're not… Horny teenagers, and.. Serah…"

"No, we're horny consentin' adults. And Serah can shut up with her comments. Light, I'm into you. I want you. I can't get enough of you. After this whole bullshit with Neo-Sanctum is sorted out I want to take you somewhere secluded for at least a month and not come up for damn air."

"Only if it's somewhere tropical." The pinkette replied with a smirk that quickly became a gasp as she felt herself being backed against the wall.

"Lightning, you don't even know how beautiful you are when you just let go and feel. In the moment, here and now. Your wildness is so freeing. To see that razor sharp edge of control just… Break? Gods above I love the storm that hides beneath it. Don't overthink it. There's some things in life you just do, right?"

Lightning chuckled at her line being thrown back at her. The water poured down on them both, slicking their skin and making everything overly sensitive.

"Right?" Fang repeated, and Lightning nodded with a gulp. "Well if that's the case, shut your over-analytical brain off and do _me_ , Light." The Pulsian growled in her ear and slid a hand down between them.

* * *

"I still don't understand how you can just be reading while… All that is going on." Serah gestured wildly at Vanille who was seated calmly on the couch, thumbing through the pages of a book. She quirked an eyebrow at the young pinkette and cast a sardonic glance in her direction.

"Really, Serah? I grew up in a communal village, in a shared home, in a time of war. There was no such thing as privacy, modesty, waiting for the _right moment_." She drawled, a little annoyed at having to remember that facet of her past. "Sometimes, the right then and there was all any of us had."

Serah looked around for some marital backing but Snow had made a tactful retreat, the sounds getting too much for his overactive imagination. "You weren't there, during those weeks we were all together Serah. I know you saw snippets while in crystal sleep but…" Vanille trailed off as her voice tightened and her jaw set.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Lightning and Fang were hovering in the hallway, curious as to the direction of this conversation. They both leant against the wall and wondered how long until their respective siblings would figure out they were there.

Realising she'd unwittingly triggered some unwelcome memories, Serah sat down next to Vanille and held her hand gently, a silent apology and a gesture of being willing to listen.

"Those two were unstoppable. Lightning just kept pushing herself because she was focused on saving you, and Fang was determined to save me no matter whether it cost her own life in the process."

Serah shuffled closer and put an arm around the redhead, bringing her close. "How long has this been going on between them?"

"Hm? Oh, not long. Them finally getting together I mean." Vanille replied.

Around the corner, Lightning raised an eyebrow at Fang and mouthed, " _Finally?_ "

"But the feelings have been there longer I take it?" Serah queried. Vanille exhaled and chuckled.

"Gods yes. It was obvious to everyone except themselves."

Lightning and Fang both gaped at each other.

"I thought she would be really good for Fang. I know it probably drove your sister mad when she mucked around but I hadn't seen her do that in years. Not since we were kids." Vanille worried her lip with her teeth as she struggled to control her breathing. Lightning glanced at Fang with a concerned expression, as the Pulsian looked away with a clenched jaw.

"The war changed her so much Serah… She grew so cold. Every time she killed an enemy from Cocoon she became harder, more shut off. She was reckless, I'd even say suicidal in a sense. She killed the village priests who tried to stop her from getting to the Fal'Cie Anima, because she was willing to sacrifice her life if it meant a chance to kill the servant to the gods."

From their hiding place, Lightning held a hand to her mouth as the words sunk in. She watched Fang retreat into herself, sliding to the floor and refusing to meet her eyes. The brunette was ashamed of herself, for how brutal she was in the war. For how easily she killed, how she steeled herself to be numb to the slaughter. How she didn't care about herself enough and nearly got herself executed in the process.

"If I hadn't have stepped in, got myself branded, they would have killed her. I became her burden in an instant. And her lifeline. I thought I was going to lose her at Euride Gorge. When she kicked me into the elevator and stayed behind. More reckless behaviour. But then when we were reunited, I saw a spark in Fang that I hadn't seen for over a decade." Vanille smiled as she recalled the moment she saw Fang and Lightning together for the first time, aboard the Palamecia.

In the hallway, Lightning knelt down in front of Fang. She didn't care about what Fang had done in the past, she would forgive it a thousand times over. She took her gently by the jaw, wiping away the tears she saw there and kissed her gently across her face as Vanille continued her story.

"When I saw Lightning and how my sister lit up around her, I realised then that there was a chance. That maybe underneath all that pain and suffering, Fang was still there. _My_ Fang. My beautiful sister who was full of life, and laughter. There's a reason I'm telling you this you know." Vanille said, her words growing firmer as her expression grew more serious. Serah didn't realise the redhead could be so grave and fidgeted under the scrutiny.

"W-what's the reason?" Serah gulped and Vanille turned so that the pinkette had nowhere else to look but in her eyes.

"Because Serah, Fang is still hurting. So is your sister. And somewhere amongst all that pain they've found each other. I've come to understand a lot about Lightning in the time we've known each other, and your comments are making her skittish." Vanille sighed as she regarded her friend. "Let her just be human Serah. Because in those moments… You'll find the real beauty of your sister." She pointed behind the couch and Serah's gaze followed the direction.

She saw Fang balled up on the ground, crying as Lightning held her, kissing her gently and whispering assurances into the Pulsian's ear. "I love you, Fang. So much. No matter what was in the past. We're here and now. I'm never letting you go."

Serah teared up at the sight, realising how deep her sibling's feelings went. And also how much the two of them were likely still processing a thousand years of collective trauma between them.

"Come on Serah, you and Snow may have more control now, but what about when you two first starting getting together? Weren't you the same?" Vanille whispered with a knowing smile. Serah thought about it for a moment and nodded. She watched as Fang regained composure and Lightning helped her stand. The jade eyes stared at the two of them intensely before she left the living room and retreated to the spare room that had been set up for her.

Lightning's eyes followed her, concerned, before she turned to regard her sister. Serah ran towards her and leapt on her, arms tight around her neck. "Oh Claire… I'm so happy for you…" She sniffed through tears. Lightning frowned, slightly confused and patted her on the back affectionately.

"It's… Ok... Serah..?"

The younger Farron excused herself and left to go find her husband. Lightning folded her arms and sat on the couch next to Vanille. "So how long did you know we were there?"

"Pretty much the entire time. I wasn't just telling that story for your sister's benefit." Lightning's eyebrows rose and the redhead scoffed. "Please. You try growing up with Fang and the way she used to behave before the war got out of hand. You learn to be _very_ aware of your surroundings."

Lightning smiled and pulled Vanille into a hug. "So, the whole time we've had feelings for each other huh?"

Vanille giggled and delighted in the feeling of the pinkette's strong arms around her, a rare show of affection that was coming out more and more lately. "Uh, duh. Even Snow managed to pick up on it. He said, ' _The way those two argue and do that intense stare thing at the end, you'd think that if nobody else was around they'd just immediately start tearing into each other._ ' Then Hope got scared because he thought Snow meant you'd kill each other, then we all started laughing, then Hope started blushing. It was a great night." She patted Lightning on the knee and nodded in the direction of the hallway.

"Go on Light, I dug all that up for a reason. It's something she fears, for you to see that side of her. She buries it and tries to hide it but it would have surfaced in ugly ways. I didn't want that to get between you, especially given that we're about to go back into a war zone. Better to bring it up now so you know where you both stand."

"Incredibly insightful. Thank you, 'Nille." Lightning replied warmly and got up to head to the spare room, leaving a grinning redhead in her wake. She'd never used a nickname before.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN -_ We're having system issues at work today soooooooooo here's a chapter.

* * *

Fang heard the door click shut and soft footsteps padding along the carpet. The bed shifted and she braced to feel the warmth around her. When it didn't come, she turned away from the window to find Lightning sitting on the bed next to her, just watching. The pinkette looked down at Fang and smiled wistfully, reaching out to run fingers through the dark hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lightning whispered, feeling sad that they had become so close and yet she still felt far, locked out of that part of her lover's life.

Fang shrugged and sat up, scooting over so she could feel Lightning on her skin. "That part of my life was… Left behind in crystal. I had to let go of my humanity, not just to become Ragnarok but.. Just to survive. I didn't like who I became."

"You were ashamed."

The brunette winced at the truthful words, and pulled her knees close to her chest, resting her head on her arms. "Hmph. I guess."

"You shouldn't be." Fang heard Lightning reply as a pale hand slid up her back to rest on her shoulder.

"You wouldn't say that if you saw… The things I did."

Lightning frowned and tilted the Pulsian's chin towards her. "But I have seen it." She said simply, and stared into the curious jade eyes. Fang relaxed her body, legs stretching out and laughed.

"I don't mean metaphorically, Light. Or about our time on the run."

"Neither do I."

Fang raised her eyebrows and felt unsettled. The room suddenly felt smaller, and Lightning's presence… She felt the same when she laid her eyes on Lightning for the first time back in Palumpolum, and again in Ruffian.

"Light… What did you do?"

The pinkette sighed and took Fang's hand, stroking the skin gently in an attempt to settle both their nerves. "From Valhalla, I saw everything. Time flowed differently there, which meant I could see all of it. All of the past, variants of the future. I… Lost count of the hours I spent watching you. Sometimes I swore you felt it, the way you would look around as if you were looking for me."

" _What are you looking for Fang?" Vanille asked as she caught Fang's head whipping around in their home._

" _Dunno. Think that Little Ghostie is back."_

Fang had taken to calling it her 'little ghostie' and one day she had hoped to finally catch the thing. "That… Was you? That constant feeling of… You?" She exclaimed, shuffling back on the bed a little in shock.

"I wasn't allowed to interfere, only observe. The barrier prevented me from doing anything..."

Her head pounding, Fang squinted as her mind burned. "But you did. You did more than observe." She said, almost accusingly.

Lightning nodded and looked fearful. "Once. That day on the bluffs… It was my fault in the first place."

Fang paled as she stared recalling a specific memory.

* * *

It was a particularly harrowing fight, and she had lost herself to the bloodlust of battle. She fought savagely, brutally, and felled every last one of her enemies. They would not get through her. They would not reach the village. They would not reach Vanille. She snarled with rage as she tore through the last Cocoonian combatant and landed on the ground, catching her breath.

That annoying feeling was back in her chest again, like someone was watching her. Appraising her. It bothered her. It seemed impressed, from what she could tell, and Fang looked around, eyes scanning the area to try to locate the source.

She was distracted and didn't see that one of the enemies had just enough fight left in him to pull the trigger on his weapon. It tore through her chest and she flew back, hitting a nearby tree hard. She coughed blood and clutched at her tattered sari.

"Little.. Ghostie bastard… Was too busy lookin' for ya…" She groaned and looked around the battle field. Bodies strewn everywhere, and if she tilted her head just right, they left her field of vision so she could just look at the steppe beyond. "It's ok. Maybe I'll finally meet you on the other side. Could be… Worse views as a last sight to see before the end."

She thought about the family she'd lost, and the kin she'd acquired through chance that she was about to lose. Fang sent a silent prayer to the gods, to watch over Vanille, to make sure she always kept smiling no matter what.

Fang turned her head to the side when she heard the fast paced chinking of armour plating hammering against the ground. She smiled as she saw a beautiful knight with a silver breastplate and adorned with white feathers kneeling beside her, taking her face gently with her hands. The pale hair and skin reminded her of the stories of the Valkyries, those who would come and take the best warriors off to Valhalla.

"You are…. A far better view… Than the wilderness, love…" She gasped, struggling to breath with the injuries to her chest.

"Hold still, Fang… I've got you…" The knight replied, voice soft and pained. The brunette was surprised.

"You… Know my name? Got a reputation up in Valhalla… Do I?" She rasped, aching as she coughed out a laugh. Blood dribbled along her mouth and she spat at the ground weakly.

"With me you do. For Etro's sake hold still. I'm not going to lose you, Fang..." The knight's voice broke and Fang tilted her head, curious. She reached out a hand to touch the pale face. The skin was so soft, and she winced as she realised she'd painted it red with the blood on her hands.

A burning sensation spread across her lungs and she let out a rattled cry as the knight put her hand to her wounded chest. The knight continued to whisper reassurances, and Fang gasped as she watched her skin knit itself back together.

"Magic..." She breathed and looked up at the pale-haired knight in awe. The pain subsided and she felt her breathing become easier. The two sat there for a moment, just staring at each other once the knight had finished her work patching Fang back up. The brunette's head tilted again. "Little Ghostie… It really is you isn't it?"

The knight's deep blue eyes snapped into focus and she stood. "I can't be here. I've… Interfered." She seemed rooted to the spot however, not able to stay but not wanting to leave. Fang pushed herself up the tree until she could stand upright, and limped over to the pale-haired woman.

"Well interfered or not, you saved my life, Sunshine."

The knight smiled wryly, and Fang was in awe of it. "Even here you call me that.."

"Wha-? Have we met?"

The Valkyrie shook her head, and gently reached out to touch the brunette's face. "No. One day though, we will. Look after yourself Fang, and stop being so damn reckless all the time. I… need to see you again and I won't if you get yourself killed."

Before Fang could even process what she was doing, she grabbed the knight's arm before she could turn away again and pulled her into her. The pink haired woman yelped as she stumbled into Fang, who immediately put her hands around her hips and leant in close. She kissed her "Little Ghostie", who tensed immediately before relaxing and putting her arms around her neck.

Fang had never kissed a Valkyrie before. An ethereal goddess was in her arms, sliding lips against hers, tasting her with her tongue. The little sounds coming from her mouth were as divine as she was, and the Pulsian shivered hard. The knight broke the kiss off, as if suddenly aware of her place and she stared intensely at Fang.

"That was just a Pulsian way of saying thank you for saving my life, Sunshine." Fang winked, intent on playing it cool. The knight touched her lips like they were possessed and raked her eyes over Fang's form once more.

"I'm… Sorry. I'm out of time." She sighed, looking up at the sky. Fang's eyes followed to the clouds, but when she looked back she found herself alone on the battle field. She ran her fingers over her own lips before looking down at her bloodied and torn sari.

"How am I going to explain this to the elders…"

* * *

"You. No wonder I had that weird feeling when I saw you in Palumpolum. I couldn't remember your face but... You… You saved me on the battle field that day!" Fang exclaimed as she leant forward to clutch at Lightning's shoulders. "Why didn't you.. Tell me?" She said, feeling hurt.

Lightning took her gently by the face and leant in to kiss her gently. "When you met me in Palumpolum it was before that time, I hadn't wound up in Valhalla until after you and Vanille saved Cocoon… When I saw you in Ruffian after I'd… Saved you… You appeared to have no memory of it, and quite frankly there were more pressing matters at stake."

Fang frowned as she tried to process that. It hurt her head to think about it. It was true, she only remembered the full extent of that day when it was brought up, her memories still rattled and punctured with holes from crystal stasis. She looked at Lightning and saw love there, but also fear at this revelation. Fang's expression softened and she grinned slyly.

"So even back then you couldn't resist me hm?" She purred and took delight in the scowl that appeared over Lightning's face.

"Please. You.. Caught me off guard. That's all. _Even back then_ you were an incorrigible fiend." Lightning replied with a scoff, crinkling her nose up in a way that Fang found endearing.

Looking over the awkward demeanour of the pinkette, Fang narrowed her eyes. "So, since Valhalla you've carried these feelings around? Why didn't you.. Say anything?"

"I was scared. I didn't want to lose you as a friend if you didn't feel the same way."

"Why didn't you just look into the future and see us together? Would have saved you a lot of trouble…" Fang replied. Lightning's eyes went wide and her face blank. "Light..?"

"I did," She finally responded with a flush of her cheeks. "But with the world about to end there was too much in the timeline, too many different things splintering off. There would have been no guarantee that what I saw would be real anyway. There were too many varied timeliness, this but one of many."

Fang smiled and dragged Lightning down on top of her, kissing her passionately.

"You really saw me at my worst, and still love me huh?"

Lightning nodded and pulled the blankets over them both. She snuggled into Fang's chest and let out a contented murmur when she felt a protective arm settle in around her. She looked up at Fang and saw all of the adoration in her eyes and smiled.

"Always."

* * *

Lightning stared out the window as the scenery whipped by. She was several hours into a train trip with the others and while it was going to take far longer to arrive, there'd be no issue with jetlag or overall crankiness. The sleeper was designed for long haul travel, so instead of being crammed into a metal tube like sardines, they had small rooms that the seats could be converted into beds.

Her hand warmed as tanned fingers slid over it, tangling in with her own. It drew her attention back from the window and there was Fang, beaming away at her. She returned the smile, ducking her head and kissing the Pulsian's lips. Fang purred happily into the affection given, and pressed her forehead against the pinkette's when they were done.

"Is it possible?" she whispered quietly, contemplative and bewildered, "To be this happy after all this time?"

Smiling broadly, Lightning cupped the tanned face and planted more kisses over the skin. "It is. I think we've earned it all things considered."

She sighed, the pending destination creeping into her awareness. They were still a ways off, but the longer they travelled the closer they loomed. "It isn't fair though," Lightning complained quietly, "I just... I finally get to be with you and then the world wants to end again."

Fang chuckled and pulled her closer, drawing her nails slowly up the pinkette's pale thighs. "It wouldn't be a proper get together if there wasn't a little Armageddon, right Sunshine? We'll be fine. We will get in there, save the day and then go somewhere far from responsibility and just exist for a while."

Lightning suppressed the tiniest of whimpers at the thought of being alone with Fang, completely uninterrupted. She crawled into Fang's lap and allowed herself to be held as they kissed. A small grunt of pain came from the Pulsian as Lightning accidentally bumped the small bandage over her forehead. They'd been sparring in the yard at Serah and Snow's house, trying to get back into the swing of things. So of course, it ended in injury, amongst other things.

* * *

It was frustrating Lightning that she was so far behind in her speed, her movement and her abilities in comparison to Fang. The Pulsian had been goading her, pushing her buttons to get her to tap into the anger needed. She had been getting annoyed with Lightning, she was holding back and continuously doubting herself. So, Fang prodded, poked, slapped on the back of the head repeatedly to show that Lightning needed to remember and focus on her biggest asset which was her speed.

"Come on, Light. I've never been able to do this, you're meant to be too fast for me. Why are you holding back?" Fang chastised as she got another hit in, a light smack on the base of Lightning's skull.

"You've been training non-stop since you got here Fang, you've got an advantage here…" Lightning growled in response. Shaking her head, Fang jumped back into a ready position, easily avoiding the pinkette.

"Nup. No excuse. You were the bloody Saviour for Etro's sake. Start by savin' yourself! Quit holding back, you never did when we sparred back in Gran Pulse!" Lightning's blocks were weak, and her punches slow. Fang's lips rose and she bared her teeth in anger.

"Enough, Lightning!"

She pushed the pale woman back until she tripped over on the ground and fell backwards, hitting the gravel hard. Serah and Snow had stood from where they were watching on the deck and began to inch forward, but halted when Fang held her hand up and shook her head.

"What the hell, Fang?" Lightning yelled, angry at the rough treatment. The Pulsian merely advanced on her, stomping the ground near her torso and forcing her to scramble backwards.

"If you're going to come to these grounds, you're coming armed. Prepared. Or you're going to die out there. Right now, I'm not your lover or your partner. I'm your goddamn enemy and you're a fucking _viper_." The Pulsian snarled and stalked forward again.

 _Viper_.

There was that word again. Fang used it frequently on their travels in Gran Pulse, and it wasn't until Lightning had punched her in the face that she finally stopped. The word carried with it the weight of thousands upon thousands of dead souls, the reason all human life on Gran Pulse was wiped out. To call her a Viper carried the same weight as if she had called Fang Ragnarok.

Lightning growled, the last hesitancy to engage fully disintegrating in a red haze, and she launched herself at Fang with fists flying. They both stumbled back, Fang's feet skidding in the gravel near the fire pit. Her jade eyes lit up and she hid a smile. "Finally…" She whispered and went on the assault once more.

The pinkette rushed forward and swept her leg around, attempting to take her opponent to the dirt. Fang caught her leg and pushed it away, swinging around a right hook in the process. Lightning used the momentum Fang had given her to lean back, narrowly avoiding the fist to the jaw and felt the breeze as it flew by. She twisted her body around so she caught Fang on the back with her other leg, knocking her off balance.

Lightning righted herself from the motion, and turned to hit Fang hard in the face. The metal on the back of her glove caught on the tanned forehead and Fang hit the ground with a crunch. The red haze vanished in an instant and Lightning dropped to her knees, cradling the Pulsian's face gently.

"Shit. Shit shit shit Fang I am so sorry are you ok? Shit you're bleeding."

Fang's eyes fluttered open, and she stared at the worried face above her with a grin. "Mmmm… That's more like it…" She purred and pulled Lightning down on top of her for a passion and adrenaline fuelled kiss. The pinkette kept trying to pull away, but Fang was relentless, and her own resolve wasn't that strong.

"Fang… Mmm… Dammit you need… Medical attention… Stop that… Mmm…Fang… Hands… Leave my shirt alone… _FANG_ …. Are you seriously thinking about _that_ … when you're bleeding from the skull?"

Fang replied by wrapping her arms tighter around Lightning, refusing to let her go.

Vanille came out on the deck to the strange sight before her. "Uh, what did I miss?" She asked Serah.

"Our sisters are weird." The younger Farron replied without missing a beat, sipping from her tea quietly.

* * *

"Stop dwelling on it. I am happy you finally snapped out of it and showed some spine." Fang purred and snuck her hand around to pull Lightning against her. "We'll be fine. We go better against gods, you and me. So, a bunch of idiots running around playing pretend will be a cinch."

Lightning smiled and nestled into her place in the crook of Fang's neck. There were a few times when on the run that the two ended up in close confines, and a part of her secretly wished she had the courage to have taken things further then. Pressed into the shadows on the Palamecia, or hiding on a narrow ledge in the subterra. But then, considering the centuries between their meeting, it was probably for the best they didn't act on their feelings. The separation hurt her enough, let alone if they'd made their feelings known. She recalled those first few months in the new world, sleep wracked with nightmares that she wasn't going to find anyone again, until the news started trickling in and she was able to track everyone down with her sister's help.

A smile slowly spread across Lightning's face as she remembered their first re-meeting, the shy awkwardness, the gentle brush of tanned fingers down her arm in greeting before being enveloped in a massive hug. The brief moment of tension before she finally relaxed into the embrace, the first of many over the years of reconnecting… And then some, now that they were _finally_ together.

"What are you thinking about there with that idiot smile on your face?" Fang's husky voice tickled her ear as the Pulsian's lips pressed up against it. Lightning scowled and whacked her on the arm.

"Hush you. I'm just… Reminding myself about how lucky I am to find you again. And that I'm… I'm going to make sure I fight, and not hold back, so that I don't lose you again."

Fang's eyes shimmered with a warm gaze and she took the pinkette's head in her hand, delivering gentle kisses across the skin leading down to her lips.

"You won't lose me, Light. You're stuck with me now and forever."


	6. Chapter 6

_AN -_ iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's moving week! How excitement. But because the internet move is going to go wrong (I've never had a move in ten years where an internet provider _hasn't_ fucked it up so I'm just pre-empting) I may be offline for possibly up to two weeks. THUS, everyone gets an update before Thursday. Thank you for ongoing support as always. If you haven't seen it, asks on my tumblr are being answered along with a render from the fics so if you have any burning questions feel free to hit me up!

* * *

"Wow."

"That's an accurate assessment." Lightning replied, watching the target in the shooting range trail towards them on the mechanism. Every last one on target. "I don't… I don't expect you to…" She trailed off, uncertain how to continue. Serah seemed to pick up what was unsaid and placed the gun on the table in front of them.

"I know Claire," she replied quietly and took her sister by the hands. "Neither of us ever expect to _need_ to, but I am prepared. I know why we're here. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't ready to take every action needed to end this, so I can go back home and have an _uninterrupted dinner_ with my friends."

The elder Farron chuckled low and pulled her sibling into a hug. Serah found a comfy spot in the crook of Lightning's neck and sighed with contentment. It had been a very long time since they were ever close like this, and it took almost losing each other too many times over for them to finally be at peace.

"You're a pretty good shot, you know?" Lightning said quietly, stroking her sister's hair. Serah giggled and tightened her grip around her sibling's waist.

"I learnt from the best, after all."

Lightning led her sister through the compound, her arm still slung about Serah's shoulder. Despite the rising tension around them with what was to come, she was choosing to remain in the moment, with the younger pinkette. She'd spent far too many years absent from her life, playing parent instead of sister, serving as her overseer instead of her friend. There was far too much lost time to catch up on, and she was not going to waste a moment.

They made their way into a training room, where Rygdea and Fang were going at it. The Pulsian leapt back on the mats, using her body's momentum to propel herself out of the way of the redhead's advancing attacks. Lightning's gaze raked over the tanned form, at every muscle straining and she was suitably impressed. She'd always admired the way Fang fought, all raw power and strength. Now that they were together, her raw power had taken on an entirely different meaning and she felt herself flush as her thoughts turned to the more mildly inappropriate.

"Do I need to give you a moment, sis?" Serah teased, copping a smack on her arm in response.

"Hush."

Amodar approached from behind with a light chuckle, clapping Lightning on the shoulder. "Farron, I've got someone else in who wants to see you." He said, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb. Noel came casually strolling in, bag over his shoulder with a cheery looking Yeul in tow. He gave a lazy salute and then was nearly bowled over by an excited Serah.

"Noel! You're here!" the younger Farron yelled excitedly. One more for their little strange family. Serah ducked out from under her sister's arm and ran over to her former partner in time. They gave each other a quick hug before she untangled herself and took Yeul by the hands. "How are you doing?" she asked warmly. The former seeress gave a small smile and bowed her head.

"I am well, thank you." She replied quietly, the two younger women walking off towards the locker room to catch up. Lightning smiled as they left and turned to regard Noel with a clasp of his wrist.

"Good to see you, Noel. Yeul looks well?"

"Yeah, sorry we weren't able to get to Franca for the annual party. Borders were cut off when we were in Oekraïne, couldn't get through. Thankfully Rygdea and Amodar got us clearance to get out. Things were starting to get a little... Heated."

The pinkette nodded, lips thinned. If it wasn't the civil war wreaking havoc between the borders, this Neo-Sanctum was causing too many fingers to be pointed in the wrong directions. More time for the diplomats to squabble amongst themselves meant more time for the terrorist organisation to flourish. Try as she might, she fought against her nature to step in for years and only just managed to stop short of blaming herself for their resurgence.

Their attention was drawn by a whoop from Fang as she sent Rygdea falling to the mat once more. Noel smiled and nudged Lightning in the ribs. "Not bad, Light. She's a good pick." He said with a smug laugh, earning himself a glare from the notoriously bad tempered ex-soldier and saviour.

"For Etro's sake, am I that transparent?"

"Nah. We ran into Vanille before we were directed to come here. You hide your unsubtle staring well."

"And you're a terrible liar," she quipped, though the smile on her face took any sting from her words. With a pat on the back she left Noel on the side of the mats and jogged over to her partner. The word rattled around in her mind and she couldn't help but feel giddy. She scoffed at herself at the thought, wondering if this was how Serah felt when she first started to see Snow. The concept was enough to finally wipe the smile off her face.

Fang took a knee on the floor as the pinkette approached, taking the wraps off her hands while she caught her breath. "Was that Noel and Yeul I saw over there earlier?" She asked with a grin. "Those two look good together."

"He said about the same regarding us," Lightning replied with a twitch of her eyebrow and the brunette looked exasperated.

"By Titan's Trials, are we that fucking obvious?"

The ex-soldier laughed and helped her partner up from the floor, handing over a water bottle. "No, they just ran into Vanille."

"Of bloody course they did. Amodar's hovering. I take it he wants to see us?"

Lightning hummed and nodded in his direction. The duo moved their way off the mats, but not before Fang yelped at a sudden squeezing of her rear end. She cast an accusing glare at the pinkette for destroying her intimidating aura she'd been working on projecting around all the base soldiers that were in the training hall. "What? I like watching you in action. I was just appreciating the effort you put into maintaining your… Hard work."

"Mhm… I'll give you hard work, Farron." Fang grumbled, nearly tripping over her feet at the smouldering cerulean eyes raking over her form.

"I'm counting on it, Oerba."

* * *

"Look, I'm just saying. You kind of stand out." The Pulsian said with a wince, attempting to stand strong in the face of Lightning's withering stare.

"Why do you think I'm wearing the hoodie, Fang? At least this way I kind hide my most obvious feature underneath it." The ex-soldier replied, narrowing her eyes at the accusation. She huffed and stirred her coffee that sat in front of her, untouched. Truthfully she was already on edge enough, and didn't need any further encouragement, caffeine or otherwise. Reaching into her jacket she'd thrown over the top of the hoodie, Lightning checked the pistol in her holster for about the twentieth time that morning. It felt different, so much smaller than the Blazefire sabre she was used to. Smaller, yet no less deadly.

Fang eyed the gesture and found herself grumbling. She ran her hands along the gun in her own jacket and sighed. She didn't want to bring a gun with her, reasoning was that she never liked them and they were too unpredictable. It caused an argument between the two back at the base in Polonia, that she only relented when Lightning had grabbed her firmly by the jacket and pulled her into an unexpected hug.

" _I don't want to put your life at risk because you don't_ like _to take precautions._ Weaponised _precautions."_

The Pulsian neglected to mention the other reason she hated guns was because she couldn't stand the recoil, or the noise. The noise drew the enemy. She preferred more silent methods of causing death, and put a requisition order in with Rygdea before she left. Of which the outcome was nestled at the back of her belt in a specialised holster. It wasn't her bladed lance but… It would do in a pinch.

"So what's the situation anyway? I'm sure we're not just taking in the sights at a café in Mazyr for the good of our health?"

Lightning looked at her, exasperated. "Did you not pay attention in the slightest during that briefing?"

"Not really, I was too busy staring at your-"

" _Fang_ … For the love of…" The pinkette sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew she loved the Pulsian, but there were times when she thought back to that time she hit her in Palumpolum to help calm her temper. "There's been communications coming in and out of this town on the border of Bielorrusia and La'Ucrania that suggest there's a cell of Neo-Sanctum is operating here."

Her phone rang, interrupting her recap before she could get onto the chastising part for Fang not listening, and she glared at the device.

" _Hey sis, there's nothing down this end but farmlands, we're following the intel we were given but it runs cold just beyond the town_." Snow's voice came down the phone, and Lightning didn't bother to do her usual correction.

"Fine, there's nothing here either. Head back to the hotel and stay safe, we'll discuss our next moves over dinner toni… Hang on, I'll call you back." The pinkette hung up on him and pocketed her phone. "Fang, over there. That look like two people talking about things they shouldn't be?"

The Pulsian turned her gaze over to two individuals by the street corner having a hurried conversation, exchanging what appeared to be documents before running off in opposite directions. "Either a drug deal or we've just spotted our terrorist cell. Which one you want to go after?"

"The one with the documents, obviously."

They quickly left the café with a generous tip on their table, and started weaving in amongst the buildings to avoid detection while still keeping him in their sights. At some point he picked up his pace and made two left turns in quick succession. Lightning pulled Fang up and hid in an alleyway instead of following.

"What the hell? We're going to lose him!" The Pulsian hissed, annoyed at the delay. Lightning shook her head and held her finger to her lips. They waited a few more minutes before the man they were pursuing walked past, slowing down to a more leisurely pace.

"He was checking to see if he was being tailed. If we had have followed we would have been made." The pinkette said with a shrug, moving out to the streets to resume following the man.

"Damn. Good catch, Sunshine."

They continued on until the town started to thin out and they ran short on places to hide. "Wasn't this where Snow and the others were earlier?" Fang asked, watching him head out of the town. Lightning nodded with narrowed eyes, pulling out a small pair of tactical binoculars and observed him approach a guard at the outskirts. He handed off a bundle of notes and the guard looked around before accepting it with a nod of his head. The man took off beyond the checkpoint into the hills beyond.

"He bribed the checkpoint guard to let him through. Guess money talks."

Fang sneered in the direction of the exit and put her hands on her hips. She gestured for her partner to follow her and headed towards the guard. "Let's see if the former Saviour has any _exchangeable currency_." She drawled, sauntering up to the guard with a lazy salute.

He stood to attention, neither woman missing how his hand immediately rested on the butt of his side arm. They both wondered if he was only paid to let the suspect through the checkpoint, or to make sure nobody followed him. The guard held his free hand up, asking them to stop.

" _Potrymay tse. Dokumenty, budʹ laska._ "

Fang looked at him blankly, wishing she had sprung the extra cash for a translator. Lightning appeared calm and brushed her hood back, taking off her sunglasses to give him an appropriately raised eyebrow. " _Spasytelya ne potribni dokumenty_." She replied tersely, the guard's eyes widening and his hand leaving his weapon to frantically gesture apologetically. They spoke hurriedly for a few moments, before he bowed and let them pass, complete with directions. The Pulsian just stared in disbelief as they moved further into the hills, the village disappearing behind them.

"Um. So are you going to tell me where you learnt _that_ little trick?" She asked, breaking the silence and narrowed her eyes at the smug expression on the pinkette's face.

"I learnt a few languages while in between digs. I told him that the Saviour doesn't need papers. So I guess my own currency _does_ hold value in these parts."

Fang laughed, placing a hand on the small of Lightning's back. "Gods above and below, I don't think you will ever stop impressing me." She moved in to kiss the pinkette but paused when she heard the faintest sound of a twig snapping. Hunter's instincts coming to life, Fang held her fingers up to Lightning's lips when the ex-soldier saw the sudden shift in her demeanour. Calling forth all of that muscle memory and instinct she knew was still embedded deep within her, Fang closed her eyes and slowly moved her hand down towards the holster at the back of her belt.

 _Gentle breeze, westerly. Dragging the sounds further than they are, so adjust for distance and wind resistance. Earth shifting constantly, he's nervous. That'll make his reaction time shithouse. Hammer cocked on a gun, he means business. If he's inexperienced he'll falter, if not I have about five seconds to duck._

Fang's eyes snapped open as she heard the footsteps on the hill move the suspect out into the line of fire. She gripped at a knife at her belt and with a flash of her wrist threw it into his shoulder, sending his shot wide. The gun fell from his hand and he fell backward, hitting the ground hard.

It was Lightning's turn to stare in disbelief as Fang moved over to the man and unceremoniously yanked the blade from his shoulder. She'd seen Fang in action plenty of times before, but there was something brash and reckless about it when they were on a race against the ticking time bombs threatening to turn them to Cei'th. This was different. This was the cold calculation that felled many enemies in battle and gave her a reputation amongst her ancestors as _Ifrit_ , the demon of fire and blood. She wondered if Fang had ever heard herself being called that. She wondered if it would be a smart idea to bring it up. This was the steeled movements she'd witnessed so many times from Valhalla.

"I don't think you will ever stop impressing me, either." She murmured, wandering up beside the Pulsian. She caught the tiniest smiles escaping her, knowing Fang had heard.

"So, how's it going mate?" Fang asked as jovially as possible while cleaning the blood from the knife on the man's pant leg. He growled and tried to scramble away from the two women, failing miserably with his injured shoulder. "You won't get far with that I'm afraid. That's severed the tendons and rendered your arm useless. You'll be lucky if you can cut a steak with that hand, let alone hold a gun. You're going to answer some questions now, if you don't mind."

The suspect spat at them, saliva only just missing the Pulsian and causing her to snarl. "Go to hell!" He shouted, struggling as Fang leant down and jammed her thumb into his shoulder. The man screamed with pain and the action even caused Lightning to blanch.

"That's the wrong answer mate. Now what's the go with this Neo-Sanctum I keep hearing about? What's your angle?"

He paled at the question, the recognition dawning on his face. "By the Primarch, you're them! Ragnarok and… And the Saviour!" He stammered, biting down on his own jaw hard.

"Good eye, buddy. Now answer the question."

He started to foam at the mouth, seizing on the ground as his eyes rolled back in his head. "For… Order… Freedom from… Chaos…. For The… Sanctum…" The man choked out before his movements stilled and the breath left him.

"The hell?" Fang exclaimed, taking his jaw and tilting it side to side. Lightning sighed and pulled his jacket to the side, hunting for the documents he'd acquired back in the village.

"I'd read about this in the reports. Neo-Sanctum captives had a chemical drilled into a filling in one of their molars. They break it upon capture so that nobody will be able to question them. Efficient. And makes him completely useless to us."

The Pulsian stood from her crouched position next to the body and looked around. If the documents weren't on him, they wouldn't be far. She jogged over to the spot where he'd been hiding beforehand, and found the earth moved recently like it had been buried. Fang knelt down and brushed aside the dirt until she came to a solid surface. "Light, over here. Found something."

She pulled out a thin metal tin and opened it, to find the documents the suspect had on him were instead stashed away. "It's a drop box, someone else was meant to come here to pick up the documents."

Fang pulled them out and handed the folder to Lightning once she realised it was all in Ucranio. As the pinkette started to rifle through the papers and her cursing increased in volume and intensity, Fang found a tattered book with Sanctum's old logo on the front. "Huh, looks like a manifesto."

"Shit, they've located a target for maximum impact. It's back in Alemania. They're going to target the embassy during a state dinner. We have to warn Bartholomew." Lightning growled, pocketing the info and striding back in the direction of the village.

Fang followed with her nose in the book the entire time, reading over the printed rage from this terrorist organisation. She turned the page and stopped in her tracks, the colour draining from her face. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," She groaned, causing Lightning to turn back to regard her partner.

"What is it?" She asked, moving back to read over her shoulder.

"I think we've just figured out who the Primarch is."

The ex-Saviour's eyes darted over the writing for only a second before coming to the photo at the bottom of the page. Rage boiled to the surface that was at last count at least half a millennia old. She looked up at Fang to find a similar expression on her face.

"For fuck's sake. Jihl Nabaat is the head of Neo-Sanctum?"


	7. Chapter 7

_AN -_ _I hit a real bad wall with this particular fic so really had to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to proceed. This one may well still be slow going, but I am thankful to the readers for your patience._

* * *

Loud, thumping music glared over the courtyard of the entertainment district Fang moved through, precariously balancing a drink in each hand. Trying desperately not to spill anything amidst a sea of people, she growled at revellers to move out of her way.

Finally back at the table, she sat down with a huff, sliding over a drink to her partner next to her. "Why the hell are there so many bloody people here?" Fang complained, knocking half the drink back in one mouthful. Lightning rolled her eyes and gestured to the giant banners over the city streets.

"It's the Unity Games, Fang. No wonder the state assembly is such a prime target. The dinner coincides with the main events at the stadium. Enough people in one place to cause panic and chaos."

The Pulsian's lips thinned, scanning the crowd around them with a hunter's eye. The masses were just party goers, a mixture of tourists and locals and none of them stood out. She missed the days where a quick Libra would give her all the information she needed. Fang fidgeted with the knife hidden under her jacket and sighed.

Lightning leant over and rest her head against the brunette's shoulder, hoping the contact would calm her. "My restless warrior." She murmured, feeling Fang relax under the attention. "We'll find them. We'll dismantle them, and then you and I can go on that dig in Iemen."

"As long as I'm with you, I'll go anywhere, Light."

The pronounced happy sigh caught their attention as Vanille and Serah sat across from them, resting their chins in their hands while giving them puppy eyes. Lightning scowled at the pair of them and threw a pretzel at her sister. "Fiends." She muttered, taking a sip of her drink.

She still hadn't quite gotten used to the public affection, despite her falling into the habit far too easily with Fang. As long as nobody pointed out when she was being uncharacteristically romantic or sappy, she wouldn't have to kill anyone and burn any evidence of it.

"So, what's the plan from here?" Serah asked, munching on the pretzel that was a projectile moments earlier. "That manifesto and those documents you recovered pointed out an attack in Berlini but here we are in Hellersdorf so… What gives?"

Lightning flipped open a small notebook she had been writing in on the plane over, going through the names she'd found in the manifesto. "There's a high ranking Neo-Sanctum official here from what the recovered files have stated, meeting during the festival here in Hellersdorf. They'll likely be exchanging the finer details of their operation under the chaos caused by the festival."

Fang was only half listening, continuing to observe the revellers around them. It reminded her a lot of what Vanille had told her about Nautilus, back in the old world. People everywhere celebrating in complete ignorance of the disaster unfolding on their doorstep. Considering the nearby civil war across the borders, it made her sick to the stomach about how everyone here seemed not to care. It reminded her too much of Cocoon.

She'd overheard a few passers by talking about the fireworks display starting soon and immediately grew suspicious. If Neo-Sanctum was going to try anything, hiding explosions or worse amongst the timed celebration would be perfect. Fang caught the scent of gun powder on the air from the nearby set up, grateful that her instincts remained intact into the new world. The gun powder smelt strange though, there was a strange tang to it that if she inhaled too deeply it clawed at her throat. It was eerily reminiscent of something she recalled from her _early_ days in the war, before the first time she had entered crystal stasis. Her posture stiffened from the memory. Lightning felt the shift in Fang's tense form. "What is it?" she asked quietly, Fang holding up a finger to silence her.

"Shut up, it's loud enough as it is. I need to find the source of…"

They all waited as Fang closed her eyes, inhaling slowly. Her eyelids snapped open as she stood immediately from her seat, grabbing Lightning by the wrist. "Vanille, Serah, get inside. Seal the doors and windows. We'll come find you." Wide eyes all fell on the Pulsian like she'd lost her mind and she snarled at them. "Go! There's no time!"

They broke through the crowd and split up, Lightning still trying to catch up with what's going on. Fang ran towards the fireworks display and leapt towards the handler behind the control panel. She laid him out with a solid punch to the jaw and ripped the wires from the launcher to take its power offline.

"Fang, I get that we're working against the clock here but do you mind filling me in on what's going on?"

The Pulsian looked behind her briefly before using some of the wiring to tie up the fireworks operator. She stood once he was secured and looked over the various nearby pots until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out one of the canisters, Lightning swore and immediately got on the phone.

"Rygdea, it's Light. Neo-Sanctum are using nerve agents disguised amongst the fireworks. What's your status? We've got about fifteen minutes to take them all out before the evening show starts."

The base commander mirrored her cursing and there was a sound of scrabbling in the background. " _You girls always knew how to ruin my evening of drinking_ …" he muttered, rallying the troops. " _Go in quiet, take them out discreetly. We don't want to cause a panic or them to get wind of us and set the fireworks off early._ "

Fang looked concerned, the memories of what she'd witnessed from these attacks fresh in her mind despite a millennium between lives. "Light, if this has is anything like what your ancestors used to use... There won't be a soul left alive. We gotta move."

Lightning grabbed her and pulled her in for a kiss, gripping the front of her shirt tightly. "We'll move quicker if we split up. There's ten points in the surrounds where the fireworks are set. Don't die."

"Don't plan to, Sunshine."

They reluctantly split up, weaving their way through the crowd quickly. Lightning pushed a wireless comms device into her ear, having told Fang to do the same as they parted. Rygdea could be heard breathing heavy as he ran, on the other end of town dealing with their own fireworks stands. Lightning leapt into another booth and landed a punch on the side of the man's head, dropping him to the ground in a heap. She broke the launch panel and tapped the button on her comms device.

"What's your status, Rygdea?"

" _We've taken out two out of the five on our end, both have had evidence of the nerve agents inside the fireworks pots. We've got less than ten minutes, Light. I don't know if we will have time."_

Lightning ignored him and pushed faster into the crowd, saying a silent prayer in apology if some of these fireworks operators were innocent. They didn't have time to check.

"Fang, what about you?"

There was silence for a few minutes, but Lightning was too focused on the next target, taking her out with a brutal kick. "Fang?"

" _Sorry. Last guy saw me coming. Put up a bit of a fight. I got four out of the five, on my way to the last one now."_

Lightningwasn't certain how the Pulsian was able to move as quickly as she did, but the more she thought about it and the memories she'd witnessed in Valhalla, there was a high likelihood that Fang wasn't taking chances and killing them.

" _Light?" Serah's voice crackled through the comms device, "We've found a bunker from the old war beneath the streets. There's likely a network through the sewers. What's going on?"_

"Nerve agent hidden within the fireworks canisters." Lightning replied with a heavy breath, exhaustion starting to grip her muscles and slow her movements. "Stay down there, make sure it's sealed in case we fail. I'll let you know when the coast is clear."

" _Fail?!"_

Fang suddenly appeared by her side, keeping pace. Smatterings of blood making the leather of her jacket slick. She looked slightly detached, something Lightning had often seen while sifting through the past as Etro's servant. It answered her question as to whether Fang had incapacitated the fireworks operators, or worse.

A flare suddenly lit up the sky in the distance, followed by two or three more closer to their position. The colour drained from Lightning's face as she tracked their origin. "Rygdea, abort the mission and get somewhere safe and seal yourself in, _now_!" She yelled into the comms device, looking frantically around her for an escape and a way to alert the people around her to evacuate. Fang grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her towards a nearby building.

"Fang! Wait!"

"There's no _time_ , Lightning!"

She barrelled the pinkette into an apartment building and down the stairs into the basement. There was an old bunker door at the back and Fang wasted no time wrenching the rusted steel door open and shoving Lightning inside. Shutting the door just as the screaming started, she locked it and stood in front of it, just in time for Lightning to shove her up against it angrily.

"What the hell, Fang? We could have saved… We should have…"

"You don't know that weapon like I do. You're not the damned Saviour anymore, Claire. You can't save everyone. It was them or us." She flinched as Lightning began to punch at her, gripping her tightly and pulling her into an embrace. Her partner began to sob, collapsing to their knees in the silence of the bunker.

* * *

"Alright, thanks. Yeah. Yeah I'm sorry too." Fang sighed and clicked the phone shut, thanking small miracles and Lady Luck that there was a minimal amount of phone reception. Rygdea was fine, though his squad suffered casualties from those who weren't quick enough. Serah and Vanille were fine, just shaken.

She turned to regard her partner, who was sitting in the corner of the small bunker staring at the wall. In the dim candle light Fang could make out the pain on her face and moved over slowly to sit next to her on the floor.

The silence was unnerving Fang, but she didn't know how to proceed. She couldn't tell if it was anger or trauma or all of the above that was keeping her partner mute, and she sighed once again. "I'd put myself back into crystal stasis all over again if it meant I could spare you from feeling like this, Light."

An unexpected slap was the response she received, Lightning glaring at her in outrage. "I never want to hear those words from you again. I am not losing you again."

Fang rubbed her face and grimaced, regretting her choice of words when it brought the reminiscent pain to her jaw. She nudged the pinkette with her shoulder to get her attention. "So, feel better?" When Lightning remained silent once more, Fang shrugged and decided to just leave her be. Closing her eyes she settled in for a rest, as there was nothing more they could do at this point. They just had to wait it out.

"Fang?"

"Yeah, hun?"

Lightning's silence caused Fang to open her eyes again to find the stern expression on her partner's face. Looking over her demeanour, Fang did the smart thing and waited for Lightning to gather her thoughts.

"The gas. What was it, in your time?"

Of course. Ever practical, Fang knew this was her way of dealing with the monstrosity that was occurring above them. Just focus on the facts. Fang took a breath and sighed.

"We called it _Ma'khor_. The silent mist. Your ancestors had a spectacular view on cruelty. They wanted resources, but blowing up the cities had a… Counter-intuitive effect to their goals. So they came up with the gas. They'd blow it up over a town and let the white mist descend. If you saw the missile in the air you pretty much had thirty seconds to get somewhere safe and sealed or it'd be too late. Even a small amount of that shit in your lungs was enough to kill you. So they'd wipe out the population and then be free to pick the carcass of the city clean."

Lightning raised her head and glanced at Fang, remembering from she'd seen of Fang's past. The war was brutal and the inhabitants of Cocoon unabashed in their brutality. She rested her head against her partner's shoulder and worried her lower lip.

"It's just… How much more from the old world is going to come seeping through? The muscle memory, this nerve agent Cocoon once used against Gran Pulse… What's next?"

"If I grow a mane and turn into Ragnarok, I'll let you know."

"Shut up, Fang."

It was hardly a time for humour, when who knows how many lay dead on the streets above them. She was mad at Fang for not giving her the chance to save... Someone. Anyone. She was mad at herself for not seeing the reason and rationality in Fang's actions. Lightning knew it was the right thing to do, and it was a hard choice to make. She hated that the choice was left to her partner.

The sound of the phone ringing drew their attention, Fang pulling it from her pocket. "Hey, what's the sit up top?" The brunette asked as she answered.

" _Oh, I'd dare say you're stuck down there for a few hours at best._ " The voice wasn't Rygdea, or anyone that she expected. Lightning's head snapped up and snatched the phone from Fang's grasp.

"I'm going to find you and gut you like a fish, Nabaat." Lightning growled into the phone, Fang's expression darkening when she too realised who was on the other end of the line.

" _Pity you took out everyone else before the real fireworks could begin, I would have sent someone to end your pathetic lives. The casualties won't be as high as hoped but it will still be enough to send a message. I knew you had gotten a hold of my files in Mazyr. I hope you like this message. That the precious Saviour will save no one in the end."_

Lightning ground her teeth in her head, trying desperately not to show how much Jihl's words had impacted her. If the survivors knew that the former Saviour was in the village and did nothing to save them, it would only further Neo-Sanctum's power by undermining her. "Why are you doing this, Nabaat? Haven't you had enough of playing lackey for Sanctum? Barthandelus is dead. The gods of the old world are dead. This was meant to be your chance to start over."

A malicious laugh rang down the phone that made their blood boil. " _Please. I may be using their name to rally those to my cause, but they will bring about order in_ my _name. I am nobody's lackey. Not here. Here I lead. Here I am the one to make the orders, take the lives. Take everything and everyone from you for taking everything from me back in the old world."_

Fang snarled and leant forward, trying to contain the rage that was threatening to blow. "Fuck yourself, Nabaat. You brought that on yourself. Now you're taking innocent lives. We're going to find you, and we're going to end you."

" _We'll see, darlings._ " A decisive click from the former commander's end had Lightning throwing Fang's phone at the wall in a rage. The Pulsian reached out after it in vain, watching it smash against the brickwork.

"Damnit Light, there were some nice photos of you on there…" Fang complained, lowering her hand into her lap with a sigh. Lightning took her hand and brought it closer, kissing the knuckles gently, letting the warmth of her partner sooth her furious heart.

"We'll get you a new one. Then we're going on the offensive, we're going to finish this. Then you and I are going to make new memories, ones that aren't tainted with the constant threat of a dead world."

Sliding her arms around Fang, she buried herself into the Pulsian's neck with a sniff. She felt herself held close and Lightning closed her eyes as Fang ran her fingers through her hair. "Don't let Jihl get to you, Light. Let it galvanise you. War is hell, but you fight for the ones you love and just filter out the rest. You start taking everyone onto your shoulders and their weight will crush you in the midst of battle. Just keep your goals small. It's to look after Serah, right?"

"And you, idiot."

"There's my girl." Fang purred, kissing the top of her head. They sat there in the darkness, holding onto each other until the rescue teams came for them the following morning.


	8. Chapter 8

_AN - SLOWLY coming back, getting back into the swing of things. Cheers for your patience._

* * *

To say a grim scene met them upon reaching the surface was an understatement. Their quick work the night previous had saved much of the village but there were still hundreds dead. Once cleared from a medical, Lightning found herself waiting outside the tent for Fang impatiently.

Serah came into view, swinging her arms around her sister's neck and burying her face against Lightning's shirt. "I'm so glad you're safe." She whispered, voice trembling. They had both been used to tragedy, but to be surrounded by body bags filled with those they couldn't save, the stark reality hit them hard.

"Everything we went through… Everything we fought for…. Everything we lost… All for this? All that lost time, to claw back some semblance of life for ourselves and for what?" Lightning growled, her fists balling in anger. "Everyone to die anyway at the hands of someone who refuses to let go of the past? How many more have to die before we finally get our time to live?"

A small hand slid over her knuckles and Lightning glanced down to find Vanille carefully prying her fingers apart. "There's a time to be angry, Light. Gods know you have every right to be. But that time isn't now. They don't need you mad, they just need you." The redhead said quietly, surveying the village beyond the crisis zone. The civilians were hovering at the edge of the tape, some crying, some taking photos. Lightning hung her head, embarrassed that they had witnessed her outburst on top of such tragedy.

She turned and walked briskly back into the tent, to find Fang putting her shirt back in after getting the all clear from the field medic. Lightning's eyes wandered down along the sculpted abdominal muscles but her gazed was tinged with bitterness. Here she was, once again fighting a war not of her making, when she wanted to just be left alone. She just wanted to be with Fang.

"Hey, if your face is that grim from putting my shirt back on, I'm happy to remove it again." Fang quipped, earning a glare from the pinkette.

"How can you be so flippant with all the death outside?" Lightning asked, her voice caught somewhere between anger and despair. Her partner's eyes darkened and she watched as Fang turned away.

"You spent enough time in Valhalla, Light. You know how I learnt to be _flippant_." Fang replied, baring her teeth in anger before she realised exactly who she was talking to. She sighed and pulled Lightning into her arms, waiting for the inevitable return of the embrace. "I'm sorry, darlin'. It's just always been my stupid way of dealing with near-constant tragedy. Deflecting and defence mechanisms and all that." When the pinkette's arms finally raised and clutched at her back, Fang exhaled with relief.

"They want this. Want us to be fighting. Want us to be on the back foot. I compartmentalize because I have to. I will freak out in the bush about it later when it's all done. But for now, if we spend too much time focusing on the things we're losing, we will miss the things we still have."

Lightning pressed herself into her partner, trying to just hold onto the moment with her, and not focusing on the mass death outside. But it clawed at her thoughts no matter how hard she burrowed into Fang's neck. She needed to be pragmatic, rely on the things she could control.

Kissing Fang's neck gently, she stepped back and took a breath. "Ok. You're right. Let's... Let's investigate this. These canisters... Home brewed or acquired from somewhere?"

The huntress nodded and moved towards the tent opening. "That's my girl. You can come to the forest with me when we're done here. Promise."

"I'll hold you to that, Yun." Lightning replied with a twitch of her eyebrow, leaving the med tent and stepping back out into the chaos, her mind steeled for the grief that awaited them. She spied Rygdea over by one of the marquees that housed the fireworks control panel, looking pensive. He was inspecting the gas canister that hadn't been fired, handling it delicately. Glancing up as they approached, he gave a relieved smile and clasped Fang on the shoulder.

"Phew, girly. You lot had me worried there for a minute. Anything happened to either of you I'd never forgive myself."

Fang rolled her eyes and scoffed at Rygdea, giving him a playful nudge. "Please, mate. It'll take a lot more than that to take me out." She growled, flexing her fingers and cracking her knuckles for extra effect. Lightning ignored them both while they bickered in the background, carefully tilting the canister she had retrieved from one of the launch pots. They looked like they were once labelled with serial numbers and she frowned, glancing back up at her old friend.

"Rygdea, where is this from?" She asked, pointing out the digits on the side of the canister. The concerned hum he gave in response was muffled by the cigarette he jammed into his mouth. Lightning stared at it and worried her lip, at this point stressed enough to ask for one. It had been a fleeting habit, early on in the piece after awakening in the New World, all those agonizing months spent trying to find everyone again. She opened her mouth to ask and yelped as she felt Fang's hand on her rear and the Pulsian's lips against her ear.

"I'd think better of it, love." Fang warned, her tone serious. "That ashtray I saw on your balcony back when we first found each other again in Londres is the last time I want to see you even think about picking that shit up again."

Thoroughly chastised, Lightning hung her head and leant into her partner, just taking in her strength as they stood there. Rygdea gave them a little smile before taking a drag of the cigarette and pointing it down towards the serial number on the canister.

"That's from a military base. Old. We'd have to send them off for analysis to see _which_ base it's come from, whether it's decommissioned or just from one of the uh… Less fortunate countries with lax security."

Lightning's lips thinned in disapproval and she folded her arms with a glare at the numbers etched into the steel casing. "If they're able to get their hands on a nerve agent, we need to find out exactly what else they can get their hands on. Send it off, get answers as soon as you can."

Rygdea nodded and gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "I'll call you when I find something. Now you two love birds get outta here. Nothin' more you can do at this stage. Go rest, grab somethin' to eat if you can stomach it."

The two women agreed and turned to leave before a shrill whistle from Rygdea caught their attention. "I know lookin' at all the body bags it don't seem like it… But you saved a lot of lives today, Lightnin'. Try to take some comfort in that."

The words were sweet in their sentiment, but they still felt like lead against Lightning's chest. As they passed the death in the streets towards an armoured vehicle to take them to some safe accommodation in the city, the pinkette turned back to survey the village. They may have saved a lot of lives today, but it still wasn't enough.

* * *

Lightning stood close and linked her hand in Fang's, leaning her head against her shoulder. "You ok there, gorgeous?" Fang asked quietly, turning and kissing the top of her head gently. Only able to manage a nod, Lightning just remained silent and stayed by her partner's side as they stood hidden in the darkness along the edges of the military base.

"Just... Preparing. It doesn't feel right going in there without a full squad, Fang. This is dangerous. Intel states up to twenty people on base and it's just the two of us."

Fang gave her a squeeze and a trademark smile as she stepped back and tried to ignore the chill that settled on her skin. "Come on, love. This is my domain. Quiet and quick is my forte."

"That hasn't been my experience…" Lightning muttered under her breath, trailing her fingers along Fang's back beneath the shirt.

"Smooth. Very smooth, Farron." The huntress chuckled with a lick of her lips. "Look. The squad's nearby as backup but too many people makes too much noise. If things fall to shit in a hurry, sure we can call them in. But at this stage, our best chances of survival against these maniacs is to go in clean and quiet."

Lightning reluctantly conceded the point, creeping down and avoiding the search lights as they drew defined patterns across the grounds. "Rygdea, you there?" She called into her earpiece, waiting for the lazy response.

" _Yes, Farron. I'm here. What do you need?_ " Came Rygdea's unusually tense response. The pinkette knew all too well as to why. He didn't like sitting on the sidelines, playing the waiting game any more than she did.

"We're about to hit the base, maintain radio silence unless things get hot."

" _Roger that. Be careful, please."_ Rygdea added, before going offline. Lightning swallowed hard and checked her weapons. Opting for knives and a pistol, for the hundredth time that week she wished she could still use her Blazefire in this world. Maybe when all this was done she'd try to commission someone to build it.

They crept through the darkness, towards the compound and climbed an old chain fence. Fang crouched down in the shadows on the other side, keeping a look out while Lightning scrambled over the top. Scanning the compound from their hiding place, the huntress spied at least five armed guards along the perimeter walls, the closest nearby in a watch tower.

"Rygdea said about twenty, right?" Fang asked, getting a nod from her partner in response. "Right… So there's five along the walls here, that guy in the tower closest to us is going to be the most immediate problem so let me take him out first. There'll be at least another five or six patrolling the grounds, likely in pairs so we'll scope those out before finding a way into the base. Avoid detection where we can, kill only when faced with no other choice. If they're even barely organised they'll be smart enough to check in with each other on a regular basis. We start killing these bastards and it'll raise an alarm quicker than we can get out." Fang paused, realising Lightning was staring. "Thoughts, darling?"

Lightning shook her head and checked her knives on her belt to make sure they were in easy reach. "Runs in line with any of my training with the corps back in the old world. You're… You're pretty impressive, you know?"

The appraisal elicited a smile from the Pulsian, who gave her a wink. "You talking about my rakish good looks or the fact that I was called Ifrit back in the day because of my role in the war?"

"Oh I… I wasn't sure if you knew about that nickname." Lightning replied with a light blush. "Wasn't sure if it was appropriate to bring up considering your feelings on the war."

Gesturing to move ahead towards the tower, Fang ducked in between buildings and storage containers, checking the coast was clear before Lightning would sneak across to join her. "Eh, it was a bit of an ego boost at the time. The fact that Cocoon soldiers were so terrified of me they referred to me as the great fire demon that scorched the world in the early age of the Fal'Cie? I'll certainly take that. Wait here, whistle if it looks like I'm about to be spotted."

Timing her movements in between the passing guards and searching spotlights, Fang moved to the ladder and quickly climbed it, knowing her partner's eyes were on her the entire time. A lone guard sat at the top idly smoking a cigarette as he watched the base from his vantage point. His breath hung in the air along with the smoke, and an automatic rifle was swung over his shoulder.

"Checking in to see if you need anything." Fang said gruffly, the guard barely turning to acknowledge her.

"Nah, could do with a whiskey, but I'm pretty sure the boss won't let… Hey wait who are-" The guard's words were cut off as he turned, Fang gripping him by the head and snapping his neck. She kicked a nearby chair over and placed him slowly into it, arranging him in a relaxed posture with his head knocked forward. Using the strap from the rifle slung over his shoulder, Fang tied it to the back of the chair to stop him from slumping over. Once she was finished with her handiwork, the huntress scanned the grounds to find the nearest entry point and then slid down the ladder to rendezvous back with Lightning.

There was a strange sort of detachment to Fang's expression when she returned, and Lightning took a moment to reach out and touch her hand. She didn't need to guess what happened to the man in the watch tower. "You alright, Fang?"

Fang shrugged and withdrew a knife from her belt, gripping the handle tightly. "Yeah. Sure. We… There's an entrance that is now out of the line of sight with that watch tower now out of action. We have probably about ten to fifteen minutes until the next check in, and another five after that until they discover the body so we'll have to be quick."

Lightning could only nod, filing away a longer conversation to be had once they were out of the thick of a dangerous situation. They crept through the compound until they found the entrance to the main building, slipping in once a patrol had gone past on their rounds.

Hiding behind a pack of crates, Lightning drew her pistol but made sure a knife was still in easy reach. Guns were quicker, but would draw attention just as quickly. Fang eyed the weapon and closed her eyes with a deep inhale. "Leave the killing to me, Light. I've got this."

Glaring at her, Lightning went to make an angry retort when Fang suddenly lurched forward, putting her hand around a patrolling guard's mouth to silence him while she slit his throat. He barely made a gurgle of warning to his counterpart when the other Neo-Sanctum terrorist turned and received a knife to his eye. She threw one over behind more storage crates and dragged the other man quickly into the shadows before anyone was seen.

"We'll have to move quickly. Anyone else coming through here is going to notice the blood spray if they're trained to look for it." Fang muttered, flicking the knife to clear it of excess blood. They moved together through the corridors silently, using hand gestures to each other to indicate movement and when to halt. Lightning didn't get any room to defend herself or even stop her partner with the way that Fang moved, unsympathetically breaking necks or slicing throats to silence the intruders. They rounded a corner and came to a halt, hiding in an alcove when they spied three guards ahead.

"Shit. I can take two out quickly but not the third." Fang whispered, pulling out a second knife and surveying the situation. She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced back to find a stern glare from her partner.

"You're not going through this facility alone here, Fang. Stop pretending like I'm not here." Lightning warned, holstering the pistol and pulling a knife of her own. The huntress withered under the admonishing stare and nodded slowly. "There's three guards, likely because of a change of shift. They're distracted, so if we go in quickly and quietly they won't have time to sound the alarm. Take the two you plan on targeting, leave the third to me."

Fang tightened her grip on the knives, and counted down under her breath. Sprinting from the alcove, she rushed the trio of terrorists, plunging a knife into the throat of one of the men. As the other two yelled out in surprise, she whirled around and caught the other in the chest. It missed the mark however, and he was able to charge forward and knock her back into the wall. Lightning grabbed the third terrorist and yanked him backwards, but he too was now alert and aware.

The guard punched Lightning in the ribs, sending her staggering back and gasping for air. He closed in, pulling out a small switchblade and slashing out at her. The metal just barely grazed her arm and she hissed, kicking forward to put some distance between them. It knocked the man back into Fang, who had already finished with the second guard and was snarling dangerously at the last terrorist. She spun him around and threw him against the wall, pressing a hand over his mouth as she jammed the knife upwards through the underside of his jaw. Her eyes were a cold fury as she maintained eye contact with him as he bled out, sinking slowly to the floor with him as his legs gave way.

"Fang?" Lightning called out, noting how tense and rigid the brunette's posture was. She had seen countless interactions of the one the ancient Cocoonians had called _Ifrit_ but in person, the callous, white-hot rage was terrifying to behold.

"Nobody hurts you and lives." Fang growled, finally pulling her knife from the man's face. She stood and turned slowly, her eyes hollow and dark. Lightning stepped forward and ran a hand along the Pulsian's face before taking her by the hand to get her away from the death that lay at their feet.

"I'm not going anywhere, Fang. It was just a scratch. I'm fine. But stop barrelling headfirst into the chaos just to try to protect me. One day you're not going to make it out and it scares me." Lightning said sternly, reaching up and cupping the brunette by the face. "We're in this together, alright?"

She could see that Fang was trembling, the adrenaline making her body shake with the pent up aggression. Perhaps this was why she chose active jobs back in their village. Why Fang worked out incessantly, why she disappeared into the forest to scream for nights on end. She was constantly fighting when not trapped in crystal, and now… Was it even possible to switch off from the fighting when that was all she knew?

Fang turned and gave her a quick kiss on the temple before taking a loud exhale. "Yeah. Come on. I think the intel said their communications room isn't too far from here." She gestured for her partner to follow, not wanting to start an argument in the middle of a hot zone.

Arriving at their destination, the two women hung on either side of the door for a moment, drawing their guns. Cocking the hammer back, Lightning nodded at Fang and the huntress kicked the door in. Even equipped with silencers, the shots were still incredibly loud but precise as Lightning swung her arm around and fired. The two terrorists dropped quickly, one falling to the ground and the other slumping forward and bleeding out on the console.

"We won't have a lot of time here, Fang. Not after that. Take what you can and get ready to run." The pinkette warned, pulling out a camera and getting to work gathering intel. Fang gave her partner a lazy salute and began to pry apart computers to acquire the hard drives and then looted the bodied for pistols and cell phones.

"Hm. Interesting."

Lightning's voice drew her attention and Fang turned to regard her, wiping some excess blood from her hands on her black pants. "Fascinating interesting or _we're screwed_ interesting?" She asked, receiving a low hum in response.

"Not sure, not yet. There's a politician's name here. Out-spoken against Neo Sanctum. From the looks of these plans, his name is all over the operation documents. I think they're planning on assassinating him. Shit. We have to-" An alarm sounded through the base and both women tensed.

"I think our time's up, gorgeous." Fang drawled, moving quickly to the door and peering carefully around the corner. Gun fire Fang out down the corridor, causing Fang to leap back with a yelp. "Time is _definitely_ up! Thoughts on how we're getting out of here?"

Walking briskly over to a steel cabinet and yanking the doors open, Lightning found a stash of grenades and a rack of assault rifles. "I have... A few." She sighed, trying to ignore the way Fang's face lit up at the sight of the small arsenal. Passing a rifle over, Lightning rolled her eyes as Fang leant forward and took a grenade.

"We both know it'll be quicker. Whatever this is." The huntress replied with a shrug, pulling the pin and tossing it down the hallway.

"Fang don't just throw that when we don't know what it-" Lightning flinched as a bright light filled the hallway, followed by smoke and a whole lot of yelling from the terrorists outside.

"Huh. Neat." Fang commented, lifting the rifle up and readying herself to leave.

"For fucks sake, Fang..." Lightning groaned, tapping her ear piece to activate the comms device. "Rygdea? This is Lightning. As you can probably tell, we've been made. Extraction required at this point."

" _Roger that, girly. I'm impressed you two made it that far before getting caught._ "

Fang grabbed Lightning by the wrist and fled the room, firing a volley of shots into the hallway behind them for cover. "Up yours Ryg'. I'm a goddamn professional." Fang yelled into the mic, letting go of her partner and allowing her to take the lead. "Take point. I've got the rear." The huntress scoped the hallway behind her for pursuers as they fled the base, hearing Lightning take a few shots from a pistol, taking out three terrorists in the chest.

Sprinting from the facility, they found the base in chaos. Sirens blaring, shouts and gunfire across the yard, heavy machinery firing up as they escaped. "Etro's bloody gate… How in the hell did they get their hands on all this shit in the first place?" Fang exclaimed, ducking behind an unmanned vehicle while the Neo Sanctum zealots frantically scoured the compound searching for them.

Pushing up against the car door next to her partner, Lightning took a moment to reload her pistol and catch her breath. "Civil war from a few years back. Occupying military abandoned their bases and equipment, essentially giving the terrorist groups free reign. War in the name of peace. It's absurd."

Fang suddenly grabbed the pinkette and pulled her to the ground as the car windows shattered above them. "We've been spotted. Time to move." The huntress leant over the hood of the vehicle and let out a burst of gunfire, providing cover for them both to move from their position. They only god so far when an explosion from a frag grenade had them both flying backwards into a nearby shipping container.

Lightning groaned and coughed from the dust that scattered in the air, her ears ringing loudly from the explosion. Knowing there was gunfire all around them but unable to hear them, she stayed low to the ground while fire and debris rained down around her. Lightning's head throbbed and spun, and as she slowly got to her knees she felt like she was on the verge of passing out.

She patted the ground tentatively with her hands before crawling forward towards Fang, who was laying face down in the dirt. "F…Fang… H..Hey…. Fang..?" She was fearful, gently turning her partner over by the shoulder with a shaking hand.

"Ow fuck, can we please take a vacation after this?" The Pulsian complained, earning herself a smack on the arm.

"Asshole! Don't do that to me again… You hear me?" Lightning snapped, gripping Fang by the collar of her shirt.

"Ow ow ow ok, fine, fuck. Farron can you leave the throttling until later, please?" Fang whined, though was inwardly grateful that a shipping container had taken the brunt of the blast. Bruises she could deal with. Bleeding out in a foreign territory from a shrapnel wound however... Not so much.

Lightning swung Fang's arm over her shoulder and helped her to her feet, pressing her comms device with her free hand. "Rygdea, we're pinned. Care to lend a hand?"

" _Closing in on your vector, darlin'. Be there in a jiffy!_ "

A Roaring sound made the ground tremble beneath their feet. The shipping container in front of them lurched forward, being pushed out of the way by a massive armoured unit. The vehicle rumbled into view and came to a halt, the tracks screeching. Rygdea leant out, giving the women a thumbs up.

"Yeehaw! Ladies, your escort has arrived!"

Fang limped into the large war machine, sided by her partner and gave her old friend a weak fist bump. "Your ugly mug is a sight to behold, mate. Can we please get the fuck out of here? I need a drink and a nap."

Rygdea gave Fang a salute and yanked the door shut, banging on the roof. "Let's roll out! Give the order to light this place up once we're in the clear." He cheered, helping Fang over to a seat. Lightning sat down next to her as he moved back to the turret seat and rested her head against the Pulsian's shoulder.

"You alright, sweetheart?" Fang asked, grimacing at the aches in her body as she put an arm around her partner. She smiled when she felt Lightning press into her and allowed the closeness to soothe her tired muscles and wounded soul.

It was too easy.

Too easy to fall back into the habits and mannerisms of old wars past. She enjoyed it far too much. War was all Fang felt she knew, and she revelled in it. But then, with Lightning nestled into her chest, maybe there were more things than just war that she could stand to know.

"I should be asking you that, shouldn't I?" Lightning asked quietly, her voice barely audible over the loud engines. She held Fang tighter, not able to discern if she was offering comfort or seeking it. "What happened back there?"

Fang's jaw tightened and she let out an exhale between gritted teeth. "I used to be so worried about Ragnarok, you know? But it turns out there was something way worse beneath my skin. Ifrit. Hah. Maybe they were bang on about me being a living demon."

"You're not a demon, Fang. When you've spent your life fighting, it's like a reflex. You're not fighting because you're a demon, you're fighting because you want to keep your family and friends safe. Let that ground you when you feel like you're slipping. You're fighting for us."

They fell into silence, holding each other's hand tight as the vehicle left the vicinity, the base lighting up with a large explosion behind them.


	9. Chapter 9

_AN- Happy New Year all- Hope everyone had a great one, and are onwards to excellent things in 2019. Since the Great Purge I have moved to Twitter ( Hoorayimuseful1) but still have an active presence on Tumblr (hoorayimuseful dot tumblr dot com)._ _Gonna be focusing on this for a while so strap in! Have a fluff chapter in the interim._

* * *

Fang woke to a sliver of sunlight peeking through the curtains of the hotel in Alemania. The war had yet to reach the city, but she was well aware of it still on the peripherals of the border, and her mind. She glared at the offending light, willing it to go away. When the sun refused to bow to her demands, Fang sighed and rolled over, burying her head in the crook of Lightning's neck.

"Mm… Good morning to you too." The pinkette murmured, idly toying with Fang's hair as she slowly woke to the warm weight of the Pulsian pressing into her. "Do you think they can put the war on hold long enough for us to order a bunch of room service and stay in bed all day?"

There was a muffled laugh before Fang rolled on her back and yawned, pulling Lightning with her into a tight embrace. "I say we give it a go anyway. Order room service, turn our phones off and just lounge until they come looking for us." She answered, capping her suggestion with a long yawn. It had been a long night after the base infiltration, with a debrief followed by a military flight into Alemania at some obscure hour of the morning. They'd managed to get a decent amount of sleep judging by the sun's position in the sky, but neither seemed willing to face the day and whatever calamity lay ahead.

Fang was still admittedly rattled, the killings fresh on her mind like they always were. Her time fighting in the War of Revelations alongside Lightning was quick and brutal, but her time in the War of Transgressions was far more ingrained into her psyche. She could compartmentalise all she liked, but in the early hours of the morning, before she had the strength and willpower to force the memories down, it haunted her. The sheets were awash with blood that had dripped from her hands, and the screams and gunfire rung in her ears.

Still, Lightning acted as a salve for her aching heart, her sundered soul that threatened to break with every life she took. Every smile, every kiss, every declaration of love brought a piece of her soul back, and she was reminded of the pinkette's words the night before. She was fighting for her family, for those she loved. It wasn't the first time she had heard the sentiment, either. The words echoed across centuries of time, once said to her in a time of despair, and now again from a Cocoonian, no less. Or whatever they were to be considered now. They had fought hard to gain this new world, this second chance. And gods be damned, Fang wanted to preserve it.

Lightning sat up and climbed on top of Fang, straddling her waist as she leant down to kiss her. "I still want a coffee. Make sure you order a coffee if we're doing this ignore the world thing today. Let's just hide in bed and-" Fang's phone rang, and Vanille's face on the screen merited an answer, Lightning begrudgingly thought. She reached over and grabbed the phone, answering it for her. "Hey, Vanille. What's up?"

" _Already answering each other's phones I see._ "

"Fang's… In disposed at present." Lightning answered with a grin, putting a hand over the brunette's mouth to stifle any protest. "What can I do for you?"

" _Actually it's what you can do for Rygdea. He's asked if you can come down for a briefing in about twenty minutes._ "

Lightning groaned and rest her forehead against Fang's, trying not to break the phone in her hand. "And let me guess, he had you call because we'd ignore him otherwise. Put him on, please."

Rygdea's laughter could be heard in the background, and she deduced they were on speaker at the other end. " _Sorry girly, I know you guys have more than earned your R &R, but this is important._"

"Is it something that can wait until later? Much later? Does the outcome of the war hinge on us being ready and downstairs in less than twenty minutes? Does the fate of the world rest on our ability to get dressed right now?" Lightning complained, glaring as Fang licked the palm of her hand in an attempt to get it off her mouth.

"… _. With your track record? More than likely. Come down for the briefing, and I'll leave you alone for the rest of the day. How does that sound?_ "

Lightning heaved a loud sigh and stared at the phone. "Fuck you, Rygdea. We'll be downstairs in twenty minutes." She sighed and hung up the phone, throwing it across the room. Fang gave an angry yell that was muffled by her hand as she glared in outrage. Finally freeing the Pulsian from her silent confinement, Lightning rolled off her and padded across the room to the adjacent bathroom to wash her face and start getting ready.

"Can you stop throwing my damn phone around woman? I literally just got that replaced after Hellersdorf." Fang complained, scrambling out of bed and chasing the pinkette into the bathroom. She grabbed Lightning around the waist and threw her over her shoulder, carrying her back to bed while ignoring the startled squeal of protest.

"Fang! What are you doing?" Lightning demanded, though her laughter belied her angry tone she was attempting to project.

"I hadn't finished with you this morning, so I'm taking you back to bed." Fang answered simply, throwing her down onto the mattress and jumping on top of her. She pinned Lightning's wrists above her head and leant down to nip at her neck, delighting in the rich laughter that came from the pinkette.

"So what do you plan on doing with me now that you've caught me and have me all to yourself?" Lightning asked, amused at Fang's playful antics. Fang paused and let go of her wrists, reaching down to cup her face gently and lean in for a kiss.

"I'm going to love you, is what I'm doing. Just love you, Lightning Farron. In this moment, just for ourselves. Before Rygdea can annoy us with more fucking briefings." She answered, dipping down and capturing the pinkette's lips with a happy hum. The briefing could wait. The world, could wait. Fang wanted her time.

* * *

Fang waltzed into the restaurant in the hotel looking very pleased with herself, with an exhausted looking Lightning trailing in behind her. She sat down and stared in amused contempt at Rygdea and his insistence for yet another briefing while he scowled at her. Lightning sat down and immediately reached for the coffee in silence.

"Downstairs in twenty minutes, my ass." Rygdea muttered, rolling his eyes at the cheshire grin Fang wore as she leant back in her chair. "Do I need to get you two a watch? Because forty-five goddamn minutes doesn't look like twenty goddamn minutes."

Fang snickered and grabbed some bacon and eggs off the large serving plate in the middle of the table, giving a lazy shrug. "Considering we single-handedly took on that fucking base last night, Ryg, I'd say we _earned_ our _goddamn rest._ " She bit back, mocking his accent. While she was still riding on her high from her morning start with Lightning, his insistence on interrupting them and his attitude irritated her. The world wasn't going to end because they took an extra twenty minutes or so for themselves.

"Fang, please. The sooner we get through this the sooner we can go back to bed. _As promised._ " Lightning added with a firm glare at Rygdea who winced at her reminder. Vanille and Serah exchanged knowing glances at each other while Snow was content to load his plate up with food and tuck in, ignoring everyone in favour of way too much bacon. Serah glared at him until he sighed and put some back on the platter.

"Yeah yeah, as promised. So we analysed the intel and based on your suggestions, Lightning, it looks like Neo-Sanctum are targeting Ambassador Heinrich Vogel, with the amount of times he's mentioned in the comms chatter and what you two found at the base." Rygdea began, as Lightning sighed and sipped her coffee.

"So their plan is to assassinate the ambassador? Why?"

Rygdea shrugged, taking a plate of food for himself. "We're not entirely sure. It isn't as high profile as taking our Alemania's Prime Minister, but she's under close guard. The ambassador might be the easier target for them to hit. Still create a statement, force more border closures and unrest."

Fang frowned. From her experience, killing an ambassador generally cut off lines of communication from the hierarchy of temples that guarded the various Fal'cie across Gran Pulse. But that wasn't the case in this world, the ambassadors played a vastly different role than what she was used to. Something didn't quite fit, but she couldn't figure out what. "What do we know about this Vogel?" She asked, idly stabbing at the food on her plate.

"Only that his name is mentioned one hundred and seventy-six times in the last six months over the communications we've caught." Rygdea responded, which only raised more questions for Fang. "Vogel mostly keeps to himself, regular ambassador duties and whatnot. Family man, pillar of the community type guy. We've looked into him and he checks out, no mystery payments, no suspicious offshore bank accounts, no company fronts, no secret rendezvous or any suggestion that he holds any views deemed… inflammatory."

"Any contact with the Prime Minister?" Fang pressed, still feeling like there was something she was missing. Lightning curiously watched the interaction, secretly loving watching Fang's mind working, building the puzzle, looking at all the angles. While a part of her acknowledged the mind was honed in battle, Lightning chastised her past self for her initial assessment in Palumpolum that Fang was just a brute who could swing a stick. How wrong she was, she thought with mild amusement.

"No more than usual, so I couldn't even say they're using him to get to her." Rygdea answered, before pausing to east some breakfast before it got cold. Lightning leant forward, hugging her coffee mug with a frown.

"If I were to want to make an impact, I'd go for a visible target. Remember that we found they were going to target the embassy during a state dinner? That's going to be televised because of the awards they're handing out. Vogel is the one hosting it." Lightning theorised, feeling Fang's sharp gaze on her.

"Is that the link? Take out the presenter while the world watches?" Fang asked, tilting her head towards the pinkette. Lightning gave a shrug and took another sip of her life-preserving coffee.

"It's the only one that makes sense from what I can see."

Fang hummed in thought, tapping her fingers against the table. So it was about the message, not the person. "So this Vogel bloke, his name was what was mentioned repeatedly in these communications?"

Rygdea nodded, flipping open his phone and bringing up the encrypted data. "Numerous mentionings of his name along with the date and location of this dinner he's hosting, coupled with confirmations of what they were planning on doing with him by way of the codename of their operation, translated as _bird song_."

"You sure, Light?" Fang asked, not wanting to question her but still feeling off all the same. Lightning nodded and downed the rest of her coffee.

"The dinner is three days away, and I anticipate they'll lay low until then. Which means I get to catch up on sleep, order room service and be left alone until then while the initial prep is done by people who are paid far higher than we are. We know what they're targeting, now we just need to do our jobs and stop them. We do that, we can go home." Lightning responded resolutely, wanting the meeting to be done so she could go and spend the much needed time with Fang.

Rygdea sighed and poured himself another coffee. "Can't say you guys haven't earned it, after all. Take some rec days for yourselves for the next day or so, we'll reconvene tomorrow to make plans, _over breakfast_ , so you can then have the rest of the day to yourselves. And no more of this forty-five minutes bullshit, Fang. If I say be here at nine, be here at fuckin' nine."

"Aye aye, Cap'n!" Fang drawled with a mock salute, before grabbing a piece of bacon and sticking it between her teeth. Lightning sighed and grabbed her by the shirt, dragging her out of the restaurant. Rygdea watched them go with a quirk of his eyebrow before turning to the others with a gesture towards their retreating forms.

"Are those two always like that?"

"No," Serah answered, stealing a glance at Vanille who was rolling her eyes at them both. "But leave them be. They're catching on what they've missed by being procrastinating idiots."

Vanille laughed and choked on her tea, pointing accusingly at the younger Farron. "That night in Pariz, right? Where we were both waiting for them to make a move and they didn't? What a ridiculously obtuse pair they are sometimes."

"Yep. I mean come on, Vanille. I think we both knew what was up the minute they saw each other again in Londres." Serah agreed, Snow stealing another piece of bacon while his wife was distracted. "Claire was so distant during that year while we tried to find you after waking in the new world, it wasn't until I saw her embracing Fang at the airport like her life depended on it that I knew what, or rather _who_ it was she was missing."

Giving a happy sigh, Vanille stirred more sugar into her tea and smiled. "All the war stuff aside of course… It's just nice to see them together, living normal lives as normal people."

A staff member entered the restaurant and walked past the group to head towards the kitchen. He leant over the counter to get the cook's attention. "Hey, the couple up in room three-oh-four are asking for strawberries with dipping chocolate? Emphasis on the extra dipping chocolate apparently? Do we even serve that this early in the morning?"

Serah and Vanille stared at each other while Rygdea busied himself with the contents of his coffee mug. The redhead groaned and buried her head in her hands. "Never mind, our sisters are not the slightest bit normal and are freaking ridiculous."

* * *

Lightning lay back on the bed in one of the fluffy hotel robes, having just answered the door and collected her room service. Fang arched an eyebrow at her order and gestured towards the platter as she entered from the bathroom, drying her hair.

"And all of this would be for… What exactly?"

"I wanted something sweet." Lightning answered simply with a shrug. Fang peered at the rather large bowl of strawberries and the accompanying amount of liquid chocolate and gave her a sardonic glance.

"It's not even midday. And besides, am I not sweet enough for you?"

"I can't eat you."

Delighting at the opening Lightning had left her, she merely quirked her eyebrows at her and smiled. "Oh darling, I beg to differ."

"Hush." Lightning rolled her eyes and took a strawberry, dipping it into the chocolate before eating it with a defiant glare at the brunette. "What? Don't look at me like that. I have a sweet tooth, we have the day to lounge in bed and I felt like being decadent. On Rygdea's tab, no less. Teach him to use Vanille to get us to a briefing."

Fang grinned and crawled onto the bed, careful not to spill the platter beside her. She undid the pinkette's robe and parted it, taking a strawberry and dipping it in the chocolate as well. "Well maybe I feel like being decadent as well…" She mused, proceeding to dab the chocolate down Lightning's exposed front.

"Ah! Fang! At least warn me if you're going to do that, the chocolate is cold!"

"Well allow me to warm you up then…" Fang purred, pressing her lips against the drops of chocolate she had left behind and licking up the excess.

" _Fang..._ "

The Pulsian smiled, leaning up and dabbing the chocolate on Lightning's nose. "I do enjoy when you say my name like that. I look forward to getting every opportunity to hear it."

Lightning looked up at her mischievous gaze, wanting to take in every inch of Fang's face. She had succumbed to an impulsive moment, ordering the sweet dessert at eleven in the morning, but then she felt like being more impulsive with Fang in her life. Lightning smiled and wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck, pulling her down into a kiss. "As do I, my love." She answered, seeing the way Fang's eyes lit up at her words.

"Well aren't you just full of affection this morning?" Fang observed, moving the tray out of the way to get comfy on the bed. She received a slight pout for getting in between Lightning and her chocolate but she figured she could easily melt that grumpiness with a bit of affection of her own. Fang leant down and kissed her again, delighting in the sweet taste of her lips. "You're right. Chocolate before midday is a _great_ idea."

Lightning rolled her eyes and snuggled into Fang's side, resting her head on her shoulder. "I do have good ideas sometimes, you know. Though…" She paused, uncertain how to continue. "I do wonder about my idea earlier… About the target."

A groan left Fang as she reached over and grabbed another strawberry. "If I hand feed you these will you stop talking about the war? I really don't want to think about it right now."

"I'm serious, Fang. I need… I need to know I've made the right decision, and I'm not sure I have considering you questioned it."

After gently guiding Lightning off her shoulder, Fang sat up and crossed her legs, idly swirling a strawberry through the chocolate by her side. "We don't have anything else to go on at this point, and if Rygdea's crew with all their intelligence and tactical knowledge aren't coming up with anything different, we have to run with the only solid lead we have."

"But you don't think it's correct, do you?" Lightning pressed, not wanting to be proven wrong but trusting Fang's judgement all the same.

Fang sighed, resigning herself to this conversation whether she liked it or not. "It's… The wind's not blowing right on this one. That is to say, things add up but not in a way that would be considered an accidental fuck up on their part. The information was left for us to find. Jihl's a smart woman, she wouldn't leave any of this shit to chance with so much riding on the line for Neo Sanctum."

"So you think we're headed for a trap." Lightning concluded. She couldn't fault the logic, given what she knew of Nabaat's calculated nature. Fang nodded with a hum and took a bite of the strawberry in her hands and winced at the sting in her jaw from the sweetness.

"Gah! That's rich. I think I prefer to eat it off you in small doses. But yes. As I was saying, I _know_ we're headed for a trap. These are breadcrumbs that are being laid out for us to follow, Light. And I don't think either of us are going to like where it leads."

Lightning fell silent after that, processing the Pulsian's wisdom. She valued Fang's input, her keen hunter senses and tactical knowledge from the old world still holding strong. While she had seen much in Valhalla, one day she wanted to sit down with Fang and hear her perspective on the war, the things she went through.

"But enough about that. We will handle whatever we need to handle, and face it head on like we always do." Fang continued, drawing Lightning's attention back to her. She ran her hands along the pale sides, eyeing off the sweets beside them. "Until we need to worry about it, that is. I have much better plans for you today, seeing as you were so helpful to order something fun for me."

"Oh, is that so?" Lightning mused with a smile, leaning up and taking a bite out of the strawberry in Fang's hand. "Well if that's the case, we better make the most of this momentary reprieve we've been given."

"More than fine by me, Sunshine. More than fine by me."

* * *

 _NB- In this Chapter, Vanille and Serah are both referring to two separate incidences that have one shots prequels that will be posted... eeeeh eventually. We'll get through this first._


	10. Chapter 10

_AN- A nice decent sized update for you lot in the closing days of Fangrai Feb._ _Comment! Subscribe! etc! Hoorayimuseful on tumblr for renderings and general Fangrai obsessiveness._

* * *

Cold air. The silence. Lightning slowly opened her eyes and felt the granules of sand against her cheek. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the roiling dark clouds in the sky in confusion. She was… Where was she? She was standing on the fields of Gran Pulse. She was… looking for answers. Searching for a way to rescue Fang and Vanille from crystal… But now…

Lightning sat up, feeling groggy. The black sand beneath her shifted under her weight and she glanced down, trailing her fingers through it. "Where am I?" She asked aloud, her voice sounding dull on the vacuous expanse of the black coastline. Luminescent waves idly lapped at the shore, but there was no sound. It felt like she was caught in a void.

As Lightning got to her feet, she turned to find a city beyond the beach, one like she had never seen before. Yet it felt familiar to her, as if she was looking upon her home. It was an odd feeling that clashed with her consciousness as she began a slow walk up the shoreline to the looming buildings in the distance.

Hitting the main streets, Lightning was unsettled. It was devastatingly quiet, her own footsteps deafening. Was this some perfectly preserved Pulsian city? A relic lost to time? The sandstone buildings that lined the narrow road were immaculate and… If Lightning was being honest, untouched. It reminded her of a museum. A monument. A tomb. Ghosts of movement flitted past her peripherals, flashes of pink hair. It was as if she were seeing mists of her own reflection as she explored the silent streets.

The path led to the city centre, an incredible castle with spires that stretched up to touch the clouds. The peak was surrounded by green illuminated glass, wrapped about the architecture like ribbons. A gift to the gods, as it were, Lightning thought to herself with a huff.

There was still no evidence of any civilisation, any signs of life, in this silent city. But Lightning kept searching for hours as she made her way to the centre, drawn to the massive structure like a beacon. She idly pondered on the fact that she wasn't thirsty or hungry, even though she felt like some time had passed. Signs of a concussion? Or something worse?

The steps leading up to the monolith were lined with statues, the two largest carved with stone robes capping either side at the base of the stairs. There was something about them that looked familiar, or felt familiar, but Lightning couldn't place it. Though unmoving it still felt like she was being watched by them as she ascended the stairs.

Pushing the massive ornate door open, it slowly creaked open to an intricately designed hall, decorated with rich fabrics and dark steel braziers, a white flame idly flickering.

"Hello?" Lightning called out, slowly reaching for her weapon. She was getting fed up with the lack of answers to far too many questions. "I'm starting to get real tired of the silence, it'd be nice if someone fucking answered."

" _You're tired of the silence? It has been hours for you, child. It has been lifetimes for me._ "

The answer was startling after fearing Lightning was alone in the city. The voice was everywhere. Surrounding her. Within her. Lightning whirled around, blade drawn and at the ready. The flames flared in the darkened steel braziers, and the pinkette scanned the hall, looking for the source of the voice.

"Well how about you make yourself known, and we'll talk." Lightning called out, slowly inching her way down the hall. She turned and let out a cry of fright when an ethereal woman stood in front of her, draped in a flowing white robe. Her hair was white and tied into a bun, her silver illuminated eyes seemingly piercing into Lightning's soul.

" _Hm. You look like her_." The woman mused, once again her voice deafening Lightning from the inside out. The pinkette winced and dropped her blade, clutching at her head.

"Hnngh… Look like who? Who are you? What is this place? _Where_ is this place?"

The woman smiled, turning away and walking up the stairs, pausing until Lightning got the hint and reluctantly followed. There was something about the woman who felt familiar, looked familiar, like she had seen her somewhere before. There was a strange pressure, a fog over her vision, a constant persisting déjà vu. Lightning thought she was seeing ghosts of the past, or possibly shades of the future as she ascended the stairs. She couldn't tell. The only way she could describe it was.. Memories of the future.

Her mind throbbed with seeing glimpses of events to come, pasts passed, timelines lived and not-lived. "This is impossible…" Lightning grimaced, feeling weighted down with every step she took. With each foot in front of the other, she could feel every step already taken countless times over, and every step to come in every possible reality. The perception was disorientating, and she stumbled forward, landing on her knees at the top of the staircase.

The woman looked back briefly before closing her eyes and moving on. " _It gets easier with time_." She paused, laughing quietly to herself at some inside joke that was lost on Lightning. The pinkette staggered to her feet and growled, reaching for a weapon that was no longer there. But was there. Will be there.

"Dammit what is this place?" Lighting demanded, her voice echoing off the sandstone and marble pillars that led out to a balcony. Everything was echoes. Lightning looked out at the city, the vast vacant streets and empty buildings feeling more like a necropolis. "Please… I just want to go home." The woman huffed quietly, still staring out at the seas beyond the city.

" _Once you have seen through the eyes of the Goddess, you will understand._ "

Lightning blinked, and suddenly she found herself before a great crystal throne, in a room devoid of life. She reached up with her hand towards the throne and suddenly clutched at her chest. There was a vibrancy of light she hadn't noticed before that passed before her vision. Lightning saw countless lives and deaths, the destruction of gods that had come before, the birth of the world, the death of the world that had yet to pass. She saw and felt her heart ache at every soul dragged through the gates from war and strife, right up to the Fal'cie plans and her along with her friends being dragged into the thick of it.

Lightning witnessed the screams of every life she took while trying to survive while on the run. The… sin of taking life. She was no goddess who got to bestow judgement on the souls on the other side, yet she was the executioner's blade all the same. But the woman standing next to her… She was a goddess. Lightning glanced over at her as she came back to herself, the whispers and fragments of other lives and timelines edging in on her peripherals. A single tear slipped down her cheek as she opened her eyes, faced with a presence that filled her entire being.

"Etro."

Lightning reached with her mind and saw everything that had happened to the goddess of death, the sacrifices she made for human kind, the love she held for every soul. When information across all of time poured through this place as a constant flow, there would be no way for the goddess to discern, or to care, about the weight of one soul over another. To her they were all the same. Lightning felt her uniform fade away, replaced with steel and pristine white feathers. She brought her hand close to her, observing the gauntlet that now adorned her fingers.

"Why am I here?" Lightning asked quietly, looking out across the city and across all time to glean the answers herself. A tall, menacing man filled her awareness, seeking destruction, feeling pain, clashing with duty and insanity, honour and grief. He tore down the city, or will tear it down. It was hard to tell. The buildings still stood, so maybe it hadn't happened yet. Time seemed to lose all meaning here, in this place.

" _Our lives are a culmination of mistakes from you who came before. You will never walk into the sea with the other fragments of your soul, but you can protect them from oblivion. You have sinned in this life, taking the lives of so many with the fall of Cocoon. There must be recompense. There must be balance._ "

Etro's soundless voice washed over Lightning as she fell to one knee. The words were cryptic, as she expected from a goddess that understood far higher planes of existence that she was now privy to.

Lightning bowed her head as she, a mortal soul, attempted to come to terms with an eternity of grief. The goddess pointed out to the sea, while imperceptible to the naked eye, Lightning wasn't looking with her own. She watched as the tall black-armoured man slowly lowered a young woman into the seas, like Lightning knew he had done countless times before, and would do countless times again.

" _His life is the culmination of my mistake. To give him a gift of love that has unwittingly become his curse. I am weakened and cannot hope to stop him while holding the chaos at bay that seeks to devour all life. He seeks to end it all, and you, as the incarnation of the goddess, cannot allow this._ "

Lightning was suddenly pulled in a million different directions, seeing a million different lifetimes. Everything swirled in darkness around her and she fell back, hitting the marble floor hard. Before she could catch her breath, the imposing man she had seen countless times stood over her on the balcony. He wore a malicious sneer, staring down at her as she struggled to stand.

"You have been given the power of Valhalla, _Warrior Goddess_. Use it to go home and be with your family. It will be hundreds of years from then when everything will be destroyed. You won't be around to see it. There won't be even a memory of you to mourn my destruction. I will free the world from their pain by ending everything."

As tempting as it was, Lightning was seeing the world through the Goddess' eyes now. She could see across all time, and what would take hundreds of years to enact was already happening in front of her. If everything was destroyed, all time would cease to exist. She knew he was lying. Her heart reached out to Fang, still encased in crystal, still fighting alongside her in Palumpolum, still battling back in the War of Transgressions, yet to fight alongside her again at the end of the world.

"Who are you?" She asked, though her mind already knew the answer from the countless battles against him she had already fought. Time flowed differently here. The disorientating paradoxes that caused strange phenomena throughout the city meant Etro was both still standing on the balcony and already gone all the same.

"I am Caius, and I am your end."

Lightning growled and threw her hand out, a brilliant steel blade materialising in her hand. "Not if I have anything to say about it." She snapped and lurched forward, preparing to strike.

* * *

Lashing out with a yell, her blade didn't connect with the menacing chaos blade Caius wielded, but her fist certainly connected with Fang's jaw as she was knocked off the bed. Lightning sat bolt upright with a start, covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat.

"Fang!" She gasped, clutching at her chest as the Pulsian groaned on the carpet, sprawled on the floor. Lightning looked down at her, caught somewhere between concern and outrage. "What were you doing on top of me like that?"

"Ow. Fuck me running, Farron. I thought the days of clocking my face were done back in Palumpolum?" Fang complained, rubbing her jaw. "Still got that perfect right hook I see…" She slowly sat up, resting her weight on her hands.

Lightning was hyperventilating, her eyes darting wildly about as she came to grips with her surroundings. She wasn't in Valhalla, fighting for her life anymore, fighting for the fate of the world. Pushing her shaking hands against her temples, Lightning bit back a sob and clenched her jaw.

"Hey, hey sweetie it's ok. It's alright. Gonna need more than a good solid punch to the face to take me down darling." Fang assured her, climbing up onto the bed and bundling Lightning's trembling form into her arms. "Bad dream I gather?" There was only a soft nod as Lightning burrowed into the crook of Fang's neck and clutched at her shirt. The Pulsian rocked her gently, humming quietly in an attempt to soothe her. "It's ok. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, ok?"

"It's not ok." Lightning answered, her voice strained and tired. She pulled back to give herself some breathing room. "I was back there, in Valhalla while you still slept. Fighting Caius. Fighting to save everything. And for what? We're back here again, still fighting, still risking our damn lives for a populous that doesn't care who gets caught in the crossfire."

The sudden shift in perspective worried Fang, considering everything Lightning had already risked to be there. "If you don't want to do this, Light, we can tell them all to stick it and leave. We can go anywhere you want. I'm only here because you asked me to be." Fang said firmly, taking her jaw gently and guiding her eyes towards her.

Lightning swallowed hard. Her family was there because she had simply requested it of them. Again. The last time she had asked someone to help her with a near impossible task… It had cost them their lives. Back then it was Serah. Now, who will pay the price? Fang was only there because she had asked. She remembered their conversation back in Fang's home, where the Pulsian begged her not to get involved. But she threw herself into the fire head first, and brought everyone with her. Risking their lives on her say so. "You'd do that? Just up and leave in the midst of all of this?"

Fang nodded. "I'm tired of fighting, Light. I've fought in three wars now, and none of them are getting any easier. I told you back in Guneda. These ungrateful arseholes can burn. But if you want to finish this, I'll stay."

Lightning took a deep breath and held it. She was the one that dragged everyone into this, it would be wrong to bow out now. As tempting as it was. "I can't. I can't leave." She sighed, forcefully exhaling and running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm herself.

"I know, I just wanted you to come to that conclusion on your own."

A quiet laugh was shared between them as Lightning leant forward and kissed Fang gently on the jaw. "I'm sorry about your face." Lightning murmured, running her fingers through Fang's dark, wild hair. "How do you do it? You've been through three wars now, as you say. How do you stay strong in the face of so much loss?"

Fang wondered what Lightning had gone through in Valhalla, the things she had witnessed and whether it would be... appropriate to ask her one day. "There was this soldier I knew back in the war. A real hard arse like you. Knew how to throw a punch like you too." She answered with a thoughtful hum and rubbed her jaw, still tender from the unexpected right hook. "She said once, when I was going through a similar crisis of conscience, to find the reason that brought you here and hold onto it like your grip were unbendable steel. Who are you here to fight for? To protect? To avenge? Find that reason and let it fuel the fires of your resolve and overcome."

The answer made sense, and Lightning sighed loudly as Fang pulled her back into bed. She snuggled into the brunette's side and kissed her neck. "I love you."

"And I love you, Light. We will get through this, and finally book that trip to Iemen, yeah?" Fang answered, softly stroking Lightning's hair and holding her close. The pinkette grumbled and shook her head.

"No. Just somewhere nice. And safe. And private. No more life-risking. I just want my time with you. Uninterrupted, while we have it."

They lay there quietly, just taking in each other's presence in this brief reprieve of peace they were given. Right now in this room, there were no wars to fight, no lives to risk. Lightning glanced up at Fang as the brunette leant over and pulled the covers over them. While serving as the goddess' champion, Lightning had seen everything of Fang's life, and then some. In her quiet moments while Caius went off to lick his wounds, she would often find her thoughts drifting to the Pulsian, her heart going out to her with every memory witnessed. Lightning leant up and kissed Fang, revelling in the one thing she wasn't able to do while stuck in the empty city.

"In Valhalla, time had no meaning. Not in the way you and I would experience it. I was there for centuries, lifetimes, eternities, hours, moments. It felt like I was watching countless lifetimes pass in a moment. But I just want this life. With you."

"And you'll get it, Light. I promise you, we will have our time."

* * *

Fang fiddled with the buttons on her jacket, opening the dinner coat up for what appeared to be the fifteenth time. She leant against the pillar in the dining hall and grumbled at the amount of elitist politicians and representatives milling about. "New World, same old bullshit."

"Now now darling, it's all for the sake of appearances." Lightning said with an easy smile, reaching over and buttoning up the jacket. "We don't want to cause a panic if someone spies your gun in your holster."

The pinkette gave a small squeak as Fang pulled her in close, her hand resting at the small of her back. "I'd like to know where you're keeping your piece, Sunshine." She murmured in Lightning's ear, kissing the outer edges and making her shiver. Fang leant back to admire the short blue dress, the sleek material hugging every curve and sending her imagination into overdrive.

"You can find out later." Lightning replied with a quirk of her eyebrow. "Or sooner, if Neo Sanctum is still insistent on making their move tonight."

"How can you even move in that if something _does_ happen?" Fang asked, bewildered but not complaining about Lightning's choice of attire. The pinkette flashed her a brilliant smile that made her heart flutter as she slowly turned to walk away.

"I'm a professional, Fang. I know how to work to the conditions. If you'd like to watch me work..."

Fang didn't get a chance to respond before Lightning walked off with as sultry glance over her shoulder. She laughed and folded her arms, watching the pinkette mingle with the various diplomats with an ease she didn't expect to see from the often aloof woman.

"So... You two seem to be enjoying the evening, all things considered." Snow mused as he came to a stop alongside her. Fang gave him a shrug and fought not to fiddle with the jacket again. Catching Lightning's side-long glance at the buttons, as if sensing Fang's restlessness, the brunette lowered her hands to the sides and sighed.

"You gotta take the moments you can, Snow. Never know when it's going to be your last. Even though the world is falling down around you, there's still time to grab those fleeting moments of happiness. To seize them."

Snow nodded thoughtfully, watching his sister-in-law amongst the diplomats. His eyebrows raised when he witnessed her face light up in laughter. "Damn, I never would have expected she'd be into this."

"She's not. She's hating every minute of it." Fang observed, tilting her head curiously.

"How can you tell?"

Fang hummed, scratching her jaw for a moment. "The tone of her laugh is forced, for one. There's the slightest hint of an edge to it that tells me the diplomat has just made a really stupid comment. Her genuine laughter is much quieter. And see the posture? She's always usually so bloody rigid to begin with but she's slightly turned away, like she's ready to make an exit at the nearest opportunity. Lightning is _very_ good at keeping up appearances. Just not with me."

Snow smiled at Fang's observant explanations, gently bumping her with his shoulder. "You know, you'd be the only person to see that side of her to know that. It makes me happy that you two have found each other. I always figured Light was so stressful when it came to anything concerning Serah. But I realised it was because Serah's all she had. Light was scared I was going to take her sister away from her, and she'd have nobody." He explained, watching Fang's stern but curious eyes on him as he spoke.

"I never wanted to do that of course," Snow continued, waving down a server to pinch a few hors d'oeuvres. "I never had a family, grew up in an orphanage like you did, Fang. I never wanted Claire to feel the way I did, to have nobody. I always hoped she'd accept me, and make me a part of her own family. Snow Farron has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Fang swallowed a lump in her throat and clapped him on the back. "You big ol' softie. Have you told her any of this?" She asked, feeling a little taken aback by his words. When Snow shook his head she sighed. "I'd put you in a headlock if there wasn't at least thirty diplomats watching us. You should tell her this, Snow. Light isn't as big of an ice queen as everyone assumes she is. She went through hell and back to give us all the chance at a normal life, she knows the value of family."

Snow nodded and smiled warmly, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "I know. It's why I'm here after all. Fighting for what's right, and fighting for my family. That includes you as well, Fang. All of you." He answered, glancing back over at Lightning and the intrigued expression on her face as she spoke with the diplomat that was allegedly the target. Now he understood. Everyone the pinkette had been schmoozing with was standing close by to Ambassador Vogel. She had been remaining nearby him all night without looking conspicuous.

"Hey, Fang?" He asked, getting her attention quietly. "Speaking of all… That… At the breakfast the other day. You seemed a little cagey about this potential attack. I trust sis and her skills but… You've seen more war than we have. It seemed like you aren't certain of Neo-Sanctum's plans. I get the feeling that you don't think this is their play."

Fang frowned, folding her arms and pressing her back against the pillar to stretch it out. The pieces fell into place well enough, but it was the _well enough_ that bothered her. There was a straight path from start to finish in the intel they'd received. It was clean cut, precise, but also intentionally vague. There was nothing to suggest a backup plan, no word of contingency… Either the terrorists were very confident in their ability to follow through or… "We're the diversion." She said suddenly, her spine straightening. She tapped the earpiece to connect to the comms channel. "Rygdea. How many people do we have stationed here tonight?"

" _Hey Fang, as many as we could. Snipers on the rooftops, aerial patrols, high security patrols, out-of-uniform agents for crowd blending, roads blocked off. Nobody is getting in._ "

"But has anyone actually _tried_?" Fang pressed, her urgency catching Lightning's eye. The pinkette walked over, looking concerned. "Has there been anyone reporting in anything even remotely out of the ordinary?"

" _Not yet, girly. But the night is still young._ " Rygdea replied with a laugh, switching off the comms to go silent again. Fang hissed through her teeth as her partner approached. Taking her hand, Lightning leant in close to give her a comforting, chaste kiss on the lips.

"Everything alright?"

Fang shook her head, worrying her lip with her teeth. "No. Something's real off, darlin'. They've diverted as many resources as they could to tonight. We did something similar back in the War of Transgressions. My squad and I fed Cocoon soldiers fake intel, funnelled their resources into one area while we struck another. Gods. No wonder this feels so off. We're just a fucking diversion."

Lightning paled, looking around for where the Ambassador was. "If he's not the target, then what the hell is?" She took Fang's hand and held it tightly, suddenly very aware of the mistake they'd made. "Vanille is running intel with Serah and Rygdea isn't she? Tell her to send the data collected from that base to your phone, and get Serah to start scanning the channels for other attacks."

Fang quickly and diligently complied, speaking the orders in hushed tones so as not to draw attention. This could all be in vain, and the Ambassador could still be the target. But as the night dragged on and nothing at all transpired, Fang grew more and more nervous about the outcome. Speeches were given, awards were handed out, meals were had all without incident. Vanille and Serah received no reports of anything suspicious as they monitored other channels.

The Ambassador was ushered from the hall at the end of the evening into a bulletproof van driven by Noel, someone they could trust. All in all, a perfect night that went to plan for the diplomats, and that should have made Lightning happy. Instead it just filled her with dread.

"I don't get it." Snow said with a huff, still standing with the others in the empty hall. He'd grabbed a couple of beers and had handed them to the others now that they were officially off the clock. "I was expecting explosions and fighting and possible invasions but this was… Just boring. I mean… I want it to be boring. Boring is good. Boring means no fighting and everyone… Stays alive… Ah, I'm just going to shut up."

"An excellent idea." Lightning drawled, taking a sip of the beer. Rygdea entered into the hall looking frustrated, Vanille and Serah close behind. "So that was a bust. Is it too much to hope that they got scared and cancelled their plans after we hit their base?"

"God, I sure as shit hope so, Farron." Rygdea sighed, snatching the beer from Fang's hand and taking a long drink. "Maybe the precautions we took meant their plan wouldn't have worked. We couldn't get them to cancel the dinner but we could at least get them to cancel the press. Nothing televised, no message to get out."

A good a deterrent as any, Lightning supposed. Rygdea's phone rang and he excused himself to go answer it, Serah stepping over to snuggle into Snow's side. He kissed the top of her head and gave her a tight squeeze, just happy to be with her. Fang was right. He had to take the moments of happiness where he could.

Lightning watched her sister with a smile on her face, content with how happy Serah looked. Snow too. He had come a long way since the cocky NORA leader with the hero complex when she had first met him. He had grown a lot, and Lightning was proud to call him a part of her family. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud growl from behind her, turning to find Rygdea throwing his bottle of beer at the nearby pillar in a rage.

"Fuck!"

"Oi! That was perfectly good alcohol you wasted there, mate. What gives?" Fang demanded, lamenting the destruction of her stolen drink. Rygdea paced, throwing his phone to the ground and running his fingers through his hair. Lightning stepped over to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, leading him over to a nearby table and motioning for a waiter.

"Whiskey please." She said quietly, the server nodding and running off to fetch it from the bar. Lightning turned back to Rygdea, the concern on her face obvious. "What's happened?"

Rygdea suddenly started laughing before choking on his breath. He buried his head in his hands with a shuddering exhale. "The plan was executed perfectly. Neo-Sanctum got what they wanted."

"What? How? We were here the whole night! Is Vogel dead?" Fang demanded, stepping forward in a panic. Rygdea leant back with a sigh and shook his head.

"He's fine. He wasn't the target. Only made to look like one. I just received a report that one of the bases in the far west of Alemanya has been infiltrated and raided. The name of the base?" He paused, snatching the whiskey out of the waiter's hand and downed it in one hit. "Fucking Vogelsang."

Fang sat down in the seat opposite, her lip twisting in an angry snarl. "You've gotta be kidding me. So it was right under our noses the entire time? We just got the wrong fucking bird? Is everyone alright? What's the status of the base?"

Rygdea motioned for the waiter to refill the glass, downing it quickly to calm his nerves. Lightning saw how much his hands were shaking, and sat down next to him. She placed her hands over his with a solemn look. "How many?"

"Everyone. No survivors. The base checked in and then we presume the attack happened straight afterwards."

Lightning sighed, hanging her head. No matter how hard she fought, it still wasn't enough. Still more innocent lives would be lost, still humanity would fight. Was she trapped in an endless cycle of death and destruction? "I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as you're going to be if we don't stop them after that attack."

"I'm almost afraid to ask why…" Fang muttered, Rygdea giving her a sad look and wiping the sweat from his brow. He looked nervous, more nervous than she'd ever remembered seeing him, even when they were going up against Orphan and staging the coup on Eden.

"They hit Vogelsang for a reason, Fang. They stole a goddamn nuke."


	11. Chapter 11

Lightning paced the hotel room, balling her fists in a rage. She had been deathly silent since they left the banquet hall, the ride back to the hotel feeling like she was a fraud. She was no saviour. The debriefing was just as sobering, Rygdea's reports on the base attack demoralising.

Fang kept her distance, uncertain of how to approach her furious partner. "We will find them, sweetheart. We will put a stop to this." She said quietly, trying to placate the angry pinkette.

Lightning whirled and picked up a nearby lamp, hurling it at the wall with an enraged snarl. She breathed heavily, chest feeling tight with anxiety. Fang had never seen her so angry. Taking a hesitant step forward, she tentatively reached for Lightning, only to have her step back out of the way.

"I didn't see it. The information was right there in front of us and I didn't _see_ it. You knew something was up. You could tell there was something off about their whole play. And... _Argh_!" Lightning yelled, punching a wall beside her. She felt claustrophobic. Like she couldn't rid herself of the excess energy burning her nerves out.

Fang held up her hands carefully, not wanting to agitate her partner any more than she already was. "The bomb they stole was small. Vintage model. No more than fifteen kilo-tonnes at best."

"Small? _Small_?" Lightning seethed, getting into Fang's face. "Tens of thousands of people dead or injured if that thing is dropped in a metropolitan area is not a _small_ number!"

"Well it's better than hundreds of thousands dead if they had have gotten into the deeper vaults and taken one of the bigger ones! We got lucky, Light. They took the first one they could get and it wasn't one of the larger ones in their silos. We can work with small. We can stop them."

Lightning suddenly deflated as Fang bundled her up in her arms. She was scared, angry, and wanted nothing to do with this war or the people who sought to undo everything she fought for, everything she sacrificed. "What if we don't stop them? What if their delusions hold truth? What if the deaths are enough to open the gates? What if Bhunivelze isn't-"

Fang silenced her with a passionate kiss, threading her fingers through the pale pink hair. The surprised sound of protest died away as Lightning wrapped her arms around her neck and finally relaxed. Breaking away from the pinkette's lips, Fang rested her forehead against Lightning's and sighed. "Is this what this is all really about? That you think that somehow Bhunivelze is coming back? Light. We finished that bastard off in the old world. There is no way to connect him to this place."

"It's not about that. I know he's gone. But what's the point of everything we fought for if these assholes are just going to attempt to undo everything?" Lightning sighed, burrowing against Fang's shoulder. "I don't want to have gone through everything we went through to lose you now."

"Hey. Look at me." Fang coaxed her gaze upwards, brushing the hair from her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, Light. We are gonna go find these people, save the day, then go somewhere nice and cosy. The alps near Serah's place are good this time of year, right?"

Lightning grew quiet, and leaned up to kiss the Pulsian softly. "How are you always so pragmatic about these things?" She asked. Fang shrugged and gave her a tight embrace, kissing the top of her ear.

"I told you once before, back at the ruins in the Dead Dunes. I'm not gonna die. I've got you."

Rolling her eyes, Lightning nestled back against Fang's chest as the Pulsian held her, just listening to her heartbeat. "I just feel like an idiot for not making the connection. I should have known the Neo Sanctum plans were too good to be true."

"We humans are finicky, pattern recognising creatures. If you received no other information or intelligence to the contrary, why wouldn't you have connected those specific dots? We got played, sweetheart. But we know the game now. All we need to do is find their target." Fang replied with a thoughtful hum. Neo Sanctum would want to hit somewhere effective, both for casualties and where the world would be watching. Locating that target was the key. It was a hard task, to be certain. Hard, but not impossible.

Lightning sniffed and closed her eyes, trying to push the defeated mindset away. Fang was right. Neo Sanctum showed their hand, and their goal. Mass loss of life, an attempt to follow through on the Fal'cie plans to sacrifice the many to fling open the gates to the unseen realm. If it even existed in any capacity still, beyond this world. A massive gamble on one insurmountable _what jf_.

"Where are their forces the strongest? If they're wanting to protect their prize, they'll go to where they can push back against any attempt to retrieve the bomb." Lightning asked aloud. Fang grimaced and let out a sigh, idly playing with the pale hair as she glanced out the window. _Where_ _indeed_.

"Probably where the fighting is the thickest. They're all focusing on Txeca at this point, where most of them have dug in." Fang answered with a hard swallow. Of course it had to be there. The place where it all started for them, watching the country's parliament blow up on television back at Sarah's annual family dinner. It was also where the fighting was the thickest, and the risk was the highest. But now the stakes had risen, and they were both left with little choice.

"Right. I guess we're packing our bags and heading out then. I'll... apologise to the front desk about the lamp and pay the damages." Lightning said with a sigh, untangling herself from the Pulsian's embrace. Her jaw was set and her gaze on the floor as she moved away to start cleaning up the pieces of porcelain. Fang watched her with a resigned expression, a dark cloud of crushing fear hanging over them both. They had already had their fair share of close calls with their involvement in this war, but now they were going to the heart of the conflict. Failure wasn't a option.

Fang flicked open her phone with a soft sigh, hitting the top of her contacts. "Hey, Rygdea. Yeah. I figured you'd be expecting my call. We need to arrange transport. We're going to Txeca."

* * *

Lightning stood in the entryway to the small cabins, watching the world zip by from the train. Air travel was too risky, and they would be able to make it as far as Dirēseni on the border of Alemanya and Txeca. From there it would be vehicle or on foot, worst case scenario. Only the military trains ran to the border now, anyone else in their right mind would be evacuating for the safer parts of the country.

The sound of an awkward throat clearing drew her attention and she turned to find Noel standing there, hesitantly wanting to approach. Lightning nodded and turned her attentions back to the forest whipping by the window as he moved alongside her.

"Feels familiar, doesn't it?" Noel asked quietly, his gaze moving from the window to the pinkette's set jaw.

"It does. Caius isn't around to give us hell anymore but... It feels no less final." Lightning answered, gripping the railing as the cabin swayed. "Why did you sign up to all this, given you were given a second chance with Yeul?"

Noel arched and eyebrow and turned to lean against that wall of the cabin, folding his arms as he watched her. "Why did you, given you were given a second chance with Fang?"

"... Noted."

The former shadow hunter hummed and gave a small laugh. "That's what I thought. Yeul is... Pretty accepting of this. Given she's seen about as much as you have and then some, she is somewhat pragmatic about the inevitability of war, and our roles to play within it."

Lightning huffed and clenched her jaw, feeling her teeth creak in her head. "The inevitability of war, huh?" She growled through her gritted teeth. Her head hung in exhaustion, nerves getting more on edge the closer to the border they got. "Do you think I'll ever have a life where I will just find peace? Just a life of agonizingly boring peace?"

"Maybe. But not in this one I'm afraid." Noel sighed, pushing off the wall. He observed the pinkette with growing concern. Lightning had been quiet the entire trip, avoiding everyone for solitude, even Fang. He knew she was struggling, but to what end, he wasn't certain. "What's on your mind, Saviour?"

"Don't." Lightning snapped, whirling around and suddenly getting in his face. "Don't call me that. With the scores dead across Europa, I assure you I'm no goddamn saviour." The snarl was dangerous, but Noel didn't flinch, or cede ground, even when she grabbed him by the collar.

"What's this really about, Light?"

The snarl dropped from the pinkette's lips and she let him go, gripping the railing until her knuckles went white. "The inevitability of war. I fought, I sacrificed, I lost. Only to wake in the new world, and take nearly a year to find everyone again. The separation damn near killed me." Lightning paused, feeling the lump in her throat. She swallowed hard to steady her voice. There was no need to elaborate, after all. Noel knew who she was really talking about when it came to the topic of separation. Giving a soft sigh, Lightning shook her head and glared at the world outside.

"I finally get everyone back, only to start the _inevitable_ all over again. Constant cycles of conflict. I saw it all in Valhalla, and prayed to the Goddess that it would be different. But humanity always falls into conflict with each other, no matter what path we take. So why bother fighting it? Why bother with any of it?"

Noel's eyes widened, surprised at the startling nihilism coming from his old friend. He hummed thoughtfully and nodded, considering her words as the world flew by outside. The high speed train would have them to Dirēseni before too long, and any chance to talk her out of this depressive state would be lost. It worried him.

"Light, you know about where I come from, right?" Noel asked, waiting for Lightning to look at him before continuing. "Fang and I have a lot in common, in that we both know what it's like to be the last of our kind. A world torn apart by war and famine, after the fall of Cocoon. You remember, don't you?"

Lightning nodded, remembering all too well the timeline she had summoned the former shadow hunter from. The desolate barren wasteland at the end of the world. She felt sweat bead on her forehead as the memory assaulted her, feeling the despair through his eyes as she had watched on from Valhalla. "I... Remember. Yes."

"I was the last. The _last_. I watched everyone I ever knew or cared about die. My friends, my family, everyone. We were born into a dying world, and grew up knowing we would be the last. And we would die well before our time. That... Inevitability... That you seem to have such an issue with." Noel continued, giving Lightning a sardonic glare.

"You're about to tell me some profound reason you got out of bed in the morning, I'm assuming."

Noel laughed and placed a hand on Lightning's shoulder. "I am. Because fighting was preferable to laying down in the dirt and perishing."

Lightning raised an eyebrow at the familiar touch and scoffed. "Sounds like something Caius would say."

"It was." Noel answered sadly, looking back out the window. "It's what he said to get me up and keep me going after my friends were killed. Because humanity will keep repeating the same damned cycles until one day they don't. Until then, I'm going to keep fighting. I fought in that cycle, I fought alongside you at the ends of time, I fought against you at the end of the world, I fight with you now in the beginning of the new one. You know why I keep fighting though Lightning?"

Remaining silent for a moment, Lightning eventually faced him with a sigh. "Because it's preferable to laying down in the dirt and perishing?"

"No." Noel answered, letting go of her shoulder and heading towards the door to his cabin. "Because I'm with you. And one of these days we are going to find that agonizingly boring peace, and it will be because we fought through every war to claim it ourselves."

To her credit, Lightning maintained composure long enough for Noel to enter his cabin and close the door. She turned away to face the window and hung her head, gripping the railing enough to make her hands hurt. Lightning gritted her teeth and choked back a sob as the tears fell, her body shaking as she silently cried.

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt unfamiliar arms circle her waist and her eyes snapped open to find Vanille holding onto her, without saying a word. The redhead simply watched the world go by through the window, not judging, not saying anything, just allowing her presence to be felt without expectations.

It was... strangely soothing, to be held without any judgement, any demands for her thoughts, her explanations. For someone that was always ridiculously upbeat and positive, Vanille always seemed to have a quiet intuitive calm about her, always finding the right words to say. Or in this case, to say nothing at all.

After a while Lightning's tears stopped falling, and Vanille had not left her side. "Thanks." She said meekly, the redhead finally letting her go.

"We're going to get through this, Light. Together." Vanille replied, pulling a small packet of tissues out of her pocket and handing then over. "And then you're coming home with us. No more time apart. You hear me? I'm gonna find a chicken that looks like you and buy that one, so there will be one to match the fluffy one that looks like Fang. Got that? We will have a whole family."

Lightning laughed quietly with a nod and glanced down as Vanille took her by the hand. The redhead led her to the cabin down the end of the hall, knocking quietly on the door. It slid open to reveal a beaming Fang, whose expression fell the instant her eyes landed on her partner. Wasting no time, Lightning gave Vanille's hand a squeeze before rushing into Fang's arms, resuming her quiet crying. Wide-eyed and worried, Fang gave a panicked glance at her adoptive sister, who just closed her eyes with a soft smile.

"She just needs you, Fang. I'll tell everyone not to bother you until we arrive at the station." Vanille whispered, closing the door to give them much needed privacy.

* * *

The train pulled into the station at dusk, the world finally slowing and coming to a stop as the forest fell away to devastation. Lightning had been resting with Fang, attempting to steel herself for what was to come. It had been one thing to be adjacent to the war, to deal with the lethal gas, the terrorist base, the insidious creeping of Neo Sanctum into the workings of the cities.

But here, there was no escape from the reality of war. Lightning held her breath as she stepped off the train and onto the station platform, the surrounding buildings converted into a makeshift military base. Soldiers and personnel moved quickly around them, carting weaponry, supplies and injured. In the far distance, the sound of rapid gun fire could be heard, carried on the wind that blew bitterly through the station.

"Farron!"

Lightning's head snapped around at the sound of the familiar voice, slowly exhaling in relief and walking quickly over to Amodar. Instead of her usual reflex salute, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. The move startled the general at first, before he smiled and put his arms around her.

"I've been worried." Lightning whispered quietly, clutching him tight. Amodar cast a quick warning glance at any of the others who might have made a comment, the soldiers quickly finding something else to invest their attention in.

"I know, Farron. I've been keeping my ass out of trouble, don't you worry."

Giving him a concerned once over, Lightning was shocker at his appearance. Amodar looked like he had barely slept in weeks, and lost several inches around his waist. "You clearly are, where's the rest of you?" Lightning asked, poking him in the stomach as she stepped back. He gave a short laugh and gave an over-exaggerated gesture with his hands.

"You could say that. Warfront diet doing wonders. Plenty of other ways I'd rather be losing it but here we are nonetheless."

Lightning smiled and stepped back from the welcoming embrace, giving a nervous cough as she glanced back at the others. "So what's the sit rep?" She asked, surveying the makeshift camp that had been established at the last strong military point before Txeca.

Amodar led the others to a building where they had housed their intelligence squad, Rygdea giving a lazy wave as they entered. The dark circles and slightly hollow, glazed look to his eyes spoke more volumes than his casual greeting. They sat at a handful of assigned seats, the chair feet scraping noisily on the floor. Amodar brought up the projection on the wall with a weary sigh, showing a map of the border leading into the neighbouring country.

"Neo Sanctum appears emboldened by their raid on the base at Vogelsang, and have dug into Pragia with renewed resolve. We've had skirmish breakouts across the border, the injured are being brought back here for treatment but.. their numbers are greater than we anticipated."

Fang sighed, standing up and eyeing off the map. "There's a deep forest that stretches from the border to well into Txeca, what are their forces like in there?"

"Scattered. The woods are thick and its easy to get lost in them if you don't know how to get your bearings." Amodar answered, pointing out a handful of small outposts they had picked up from heat signatures on their satellites.

"How unfortunate for them. You got some scouting supplies you can spare?" Fang asked, folding her arms as she committed the map to memory. "There's an outpost not too far from here that's looking a little too close for my liking."

Lightning scoffed from behind her, rolling her eyes as she leaned forward in the chair. "Eager to get started, huh?" She drawled, earning a reproachful glare.

"Eager to finish this and go home." Fang clipped, the tension she felt bleeding through to her voice. When Lightning had practically collapsed into her arms back on the train after Vanille had closed the door, Fang could barely get a word out of her. It took hours before she finally got anything out of the pinkette, the depression worrying. She had seen it too many times back before she fell into crystal sleep. When soldiers fell to despair, they made more mistakes. Cost lives. They fell. Fang wouldn't... _couldn't_... Allow that.

With Lightning's confidence shaken, it made her a liability. Fang hated thinking of her like that, but she needed something to get her head back in the game. She glanced back at Lightning's closed off form and frowned.

"Find me the supplies, Amodar. I'm going to need to do a little hunting." Fang stated firmly, turning back to the map. "Noel. I need your thoughts on this." Lightning's eyebrows rose as Noel stood and walked over to the map, bristling as her partner chose someone else over her. Fang caught the glare and gave her an exasperated look. "He's the closest person I have to a clan hunter, Light. Relax will you?"

Noel swallowed hard as he considered his awkward position between the two women, choosing to focus on the map instead. His eyes narrowed at the placements of the camps, and tapped his finger against the closest one. "They're not scattered."

"Hm?" Amodar questioned, looking over Noel's shoulder. "How do you figure that?"

Noel read the file notes on the terrain and pointed towards the known locations. "We had a similar set up amongst the clans when we still even had clans, before they all perished. From what I'm reading, all of these locations are up on ravines. Every camp is visible to the others. Which means if one is compromised they can send out warnings to the rest of them."

Lightning relaxed, realising that Fang's request wasn't from a place of thinking she wasn't good enough, but needed a hunter's eye on the land. She hummed thoughtfully and moved up to the map as well, leaning into Fang's touch as the Pulsian rubbed the back of her neck gently. Looking over the terrain, Lightning hard to admit that she never would have seen that until it was too late.

"Quick and quiet then. We should watch for patterns to see how they notify each other that they're not compromised. The woods surrounding are probably trapped and baited to all hell too." Lightning mused, smiling softly as she felt Fang's lips against her hairline.

"You're the tactical marvel here, sweetheart. What are your thoughts?" Fang asked, continuing that reassuring touch. "I trust you with my life, sweetheart. You've got this. You took on a full squadron of Psicom arseholes back at Palumpolum without throwing out a single element. You took them out with your weapon, and your skill. Not with magic or Eidolons. You've _got_ this."

Lightning studied the maps and took the clipboard of reports from Noel's hand. She took a few calming breaths and tried to approach it like a drill. Just a practice run. No lives or worlds at stake, just focus on the facts and the experience. "Tactical strike. Quick and clean. Simultaneous sites at the same time. We could spend days monitoring their patterns only to find they change on the hour to avoid anything like what we're attempting. We don't have the luxury to screw around."

Fang smiled, sliding her hand down around the pinkette's waist. There she was, the Lightning she knew and loved. "Go in quiet, go in fast. Before they have a chance to react. Got the resources for this, Amodar?"

The general nodded with a gruff noise of satisfaction, his moustache twitching in interest. "With you lot here, we can possibly pull this off. But it'll take just about all of you."

Lightning gave an uneasy glance around the room, at her family and friends who she had willingly brought into the war. Her eyes landed on her sister, who was once a casualty of the last time she asked for help in a near impossible fight. Serah's eyes locked with her own and the younger pinkette nodded with a resolute expression. "We're here, Claire. We're ready for whatever is necessary." Serah said firmly, slipping her hand into Snow's and squeezing it.

Fang nodded towards them and cracked her knuckles, glaring at the points on the map. "Alright. Let's do this."


	12. Chapter 12

_AN-_ _LIFE. What a trip. I'm starting to get back into the habit of writing this stuff and with a PENDING NEW DREAM JOB OF EXCITEMENT, I am certainly hoping it goes a ways towards getting me finally out of those shit headspaces and onto more WORDS._

* * *

Lightning always considered herself a pragmatic individual. Her cynicism often aided her to remain realistic, but her often low expectations meant she was more pessimistic about their chances of success. That was why she was so surprised to have survived the ambush at Bresha Lake way back when. Survived the Sanctum vessel. Conquered the Fal'cie. Kept the chaos at bay as Etro's Champion. Took on god himself and won freedom for humanity. So all things considered, she should have been more optimistic.

But by all rights, the mission was a disaster.

Leaning back against the wall, Lightning watched the smoke in the distance from the other camps. She tipped a bottle of water back and slowly drank it to wet her dry throat. Fang was off conversing with Rygdea as the military worked around her, picking apart the insurgent camps and taking inventory of the equipment.

A bottle of whiskey waved in front of her face, and Lightning glanced up to find one of the lieutenants offering it to her. She smiled, though the exhaustion still bled through her expression as she took it and offered a seat next to her. The older blonde woman sat down, a world weariness to her own expression that mirrored Lightning's.

"That was certainly some show, ma'am."

Lightning waved Fang over when the Pulsian came into view, her partner's approach a welcome sight. She sighed and glanced over at the lieutenant, before taking a swig of the bottle and allowing the alcohol to burn through her. "The last thing we expected was for them to be so organised. So well equipped. So gods be damned dug in." Lightning growled, frowning as Fang knelt down with a pilfered medical kit and gave her a look of concern.

"Should you be having that?" Fang asked, gesturing at the bottle. Lightning gave her a sardonic glare and rolled her eyes in response.

"Are you going to just stitch the cut on my forehead without anything to numb me then?" She drawled, Fang conceding the point and eyeing off the whiskey suspiciously.

"Fine. But there better be some of that for me when I'm done here." Fang warned, cleaning the cut above Lightning's forehead and applying antiseptic. She gave an apologetic glance at the hiss the pinkette gave her, before looking over at the other woman sitting next to them. "Lieutenant Zan, Right? Thanks for pulling us out of the fire back there."

The woman scoffed and snatched the bottle back, taking a long drink. "I knew we were compromised the moment the base lit up with gunfire before we'd even hit the perimeter. We just lobbed the c4 and made a run for it. Didn't mean to throw you lot into it, but there was no other way to warn you how fucked everyone was about to be."

Lightning gave a sigh, and looked at the scrapes along her arm. The woman's accent was similar to Fang's, and it made her wonder – and not for the first time- whether Bhunivelze had pulled a bunch of Pulsians from the seas to live in the new world, or if things had been different, they would have eventually found evidence that not everyone had perished. "For what it's worth, it saved us all. Only minor injuries. If we can get out of this stupid war without any further death, I'll happily take a few knocks to the head."

Lieutenant Zan nodded with a smile and stood up, giving them both a lazy salute. "With you two here, we might actually have more than a rodent's chance in the tunnels of Mah'habara of making that a reality." She replied with a laugh, leaving the bottle with them and wandering off. Fang stared after her with narrowed eyes and hummed thoughtfully, before going back to her work.

"What is it?" Lightning asked, touching Fang's arm gently to get her attention.

"That was a Pulsian saying. I never really thought about the accents until now, you know? I never really bothered to ask anyone. They all seem to know what happened with you and all but… Hm. Remind me to track that lieutenant down and corner her about the old world later."

Lightning winced as she felt the needle slide into her skin, and tried to sit still. "That whole mission was a mess, Fang. How did we not see how entrenched they were?"

Fang paused after cutting the medical thread, waiting patiently for Lightning to take another drink from the bottle.

 _Lightning snuck up and held up her hand, patiently waiting for the perimeter guard to check in. Fang looked at her curiously as to why she wasn't making a move. As the minutes ticked by and Fang's frustrations wore thin, Lightning shot from the scrub and drew a knife against the guard's throat without a second thought, surprising them all. She gingerly fished the radio off the chest of the guard, checking in on his behalf with a near perfect rendition of his voice._

 _Fang stared at her in shock and lightning shrugged. "It's how I used to get out of school half the time as a kid. They'd ring and I'd answer as mom."_

 _"Can you do my accent?"_

 _"Don't be a smart arse." Lightning quipped with an arch of an eyebrow. Fang's eyes lit up and she grinned widely._

 _"Oh my god. Why is that so hot?"_

 _Lightning pilfered any weapons the guard had on his person and sighed"Fang, focus."_

 _"God what would you even sound like talking Pulsian?"_

 _"I have time to learn. We finish this and get everyone out alive, teach me." Lightning threw over her shoulder, giving her a sultry look. Fang moved closer to touch her when an explosion ripped through the forest, coming from one of thr other camps. Cries went up, sirens started to blare and they both shared an uneasy glance. "Just once. ONCE. I want something to go right."_

"There. All done. You'll be back up and swinging by morning." Fang said gently, putting the kit away and settling in next to the pinkette on the ground. "So now, onward to the city?" A slow nod was the only response Lightning would give while handing the bottle over to her for a drink. They sat in silence for a while, Lightning resting her head on Fang's shoulder. "You uh... For what it's worth, Light, you did well tonight. Less... Hesitation."

"I decided after talking with Noel that I wasn't going to let my fears get the better of me. I'm here to protect everything that I fought for. Whatever it takes to end this and let us go home." Lightning replied, her expression earnest. She needed Fang to believe her. Needed her to trust in her. But still the anxiousness gnawed at her gut as she watched the other soldiers ferry injured and the dead past them. "It's going to get worse from here, isn't it?"

Fang sighed and kissed the top of her head, not wanting to think about it in that moment. But she couldn't ignore the red tinge to the night that lined the horizon, the burning cities in the distance that beckoned them to the end of their journey. It was eerily reminiscent of her final night before she cracked the shell of Cocoon, and it felt no less ominous now as it was then. She took Lightning's hand and held her close, kissing the top of her head.

"We got each other's backs, darlin'. No matter how bad it gets, we have each other to see it through."

* * *

Rygdea gestured for them to move forward silently, creeping through the rubble. The ruined building were covered in concrete dust and scorch marks from the explosions that had brought the city to its knees. Fang was on high alert, assault rifle in hand, scanning the area for combatants. She loathed to use rifles, but getting out alive was preferable to preference. The insurgents were dug in deep here, and they had to be careful.

"Psst. Through here." Rygdea hissed, pulling on a chain-link fence that cordoned off an alley. He ushered the others through quickly, the narrow backstreet difficult to manoeuvre through.

"Ryg, this is bullshit. We're sitting ducks out here." Fang whispered, walking backwards slowly to keep an eye out behind them. She spied the rags and draped fabrics over the broken balconies and cabling and arched an eyebrow.

"If they can see through all of that mess, we deserve to be picked off, Fang." Rygdea drawled, pulling a dumpster to the side and revealing a hole in the side of a building. "After you, Girly."

"The more things change, the more they stay the same..." Fang muttered, stepping through the small space. Lightning moved along side her and smiled. "At least we can breathe now, right?" Or, maybe not, with the way the dust and scent of burning constantly hung in the air. Broken furniture was upturned against the filthy, broken walls, rubbish and scattered supplies all over what would have once been a cosy terrace home.

"Oi. Over here." Rygdea called out, opening a door beneath a staircase to reveal a ladder going down a hole that had been torn out of the flooring. Fang sighed and gave him an exhausted look while Serah peered over her shoulder.

"This all feels very clandestine, doesn't it?" The younger Farron asked with a nervous laugh. Lightning rolled her eyes and pushed forward, swinging her legs onto the ladder and climbing down.

"It feels tiring. Let's go."

One by one, they descended into the darkness, the smell of damp encroaching on their senses the deeper they went. Lightning landed on steel, and fished out a torch from her pocket with a hum. "Train tracks? We're in a subway?"

"Secret subway, to be more specific." Rygdea added, ignoring the glare he received from her. Serah giggled and stood closer to Snow, who wrapped an arm around her proactively.

"See? Told you. Clandestine."

"Hush." Lightning clipped, looking around the tunnel they stood in. "What gives? These tracks don't look used at all."

Rygdea stepped in front of the group and kept moving forward, tapping out a message on his comms device. "This track runs to the central station not too far from here. The city built it a long time ago in case a new line was needed, so they already had a platform to facilitate. It's not accessible from the station, and the insurgents aren't locals so it's our little one up. They're called ghost platforms, so-"

"Serah shut up." Lightning interjected when she saw her sister's face light up, cutting her off at the pass. A rock tumbling onto the tracks had her swinging around, gun already out of her holster and armed. She was still on edge, regardless of the pretence of safety in the tunnels. "So these tunnels lead into the heart of the city without detection? That's a good advantage to have."

The tunnel lit up ahead with lamps running on quietly humming generators, and a silhouette of an armed person waving them through. Rygdea gave them a salute and kept walking, the soldier returning the gesture and bowing as Lightning walked past. The small space opened up to the unused station platform, faded graffiti tagging the crumbling tiles. The wood of the tracks had long since rotted, the steel rusted and corroded. But still, there was a bustling of life in the once abandoned tunnels, the buzz and excitement of the new arrivals tearing through the outpost quicker than they could register.

A small crowd gathered, a mix of local rebels fighting the insurgents and the other soldiers, shaking their hands and praising their efforts both here and in the old world. Fang quickly grew tired of it and started to politely usher them away to get down to business. "And this is why I live in the middle of fucking nowhere back in _Ostralya_."

Lightning stood close and took her hand, resting her head on her shoulder. "Feel like an extra guest in your house once we're done here? I'm pretty much done with people too."

"You don't even have to ask, Light."

"I know. Vanille already told me I was coming back with you and she was gonna buy a chicken for me." Lightning answered, leaning up to give Fang a gentle kiss on the cheek. One of many she planned to give her. The prospect of moving to the other side of the world to be left in peace made her feel giddy, and strengthened her resolve.

A man dressed in worn and faded fatigues limped over and saluted Rygdea and the others. His dirty blonde hair was tied back, a rough beard growing unevenly on his jaw. He gave them a look and gestured for them to follow to a control room that had been set up as a makeshift comms hub. Fang leant forward and stared hard as he gave her a lop-sided grin.

"Been a while, boss. But it's good to have you here."

Fang's face lit up and she laughed, pulling him into a hug. "Adonis! You cheeky bastard. What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, clapping his back firmly. He coughed, the wind knocked out of him. Straightening up, Adonis gave her a salute and pointed behind him.

"All of the Monoculus gang is here, ma'am. We were the first on the scene to help the rebels when war broke out across Europa. We…" He pauses, looking down at his feet a moment before continuing. "We know how hard you fought to save the world. To save us. We had hoped to get this sorted before you were forced to intervene. It was the least we could do after everything. Sorry we failed."

Fang's heart swelled at their loyalty, even in the new world they still kept an eye out for her. She gave him an earnest smile and squeezed his shoulder. "Don't apologise, Adonis. You've done me proud. It'll be good to raise a little hell with you guys again."

Adonis tightened his jaw and led them through the tunnels, and up through a grate that opened up into an underground carpark. "Not much hell to raise when we're already there." He sighed, climbing up a ladder and waiting for them to join him. The building had a hole blown out of the wall and it overlooked a once beautiful city on fire. Smoke billowed from the various wards that dotted the horizon, explosions and gunfire almost constant. Lightning held her breath at the sight, while Fang's expression grew dark. Adonis gave them both a sympathetic glance and gestured grimly to the devastation beyond their hiding place.

"Miss Farron. Miss Yun. Welcome to Txeca."

* * *

"So. Big city of rubble. Remind you of Paddra?" Lightning asked as she crept through the broken streets, mask over the lower half of her face. Fang clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, sighing through her own neoprene face covering. Of course the wild huntress had opted for a motif of a tribal beast. It looked like it was grinning at Lightning, and it reminded her of all the cocksure attitude she had ever received from her.

"Which time? I know you were with me for both, _ghostie_." Fang drawled, scanning the rooftops for any sign of insurgents. Lightning gave a soft laugh and kept her eyes front, feeling comforted that Fang had her back.

"Valid. It was ruins back then too, wasn't it?"

"Mm." Fang answered with a hum, her eyes looking all the more wild and ferocious from behind the grinning jackal mask covering the lower half of her face. "They were in the midst of rebuilding, when I knew it. The city had already fallen once in my lifetime, after a seeress had predicted it's fall. Ironically she had seen the civil war that had torn Gran Pulse apart after my crack at Cocoon, but the city officials panicked and turned on each other and brought it down regardless."

Lightning's lips thinned and she looked disappointed. "History really does repeat itself, doesn't it?"

"We are breaking the cycle once and for all, Light. I'm tired of seeing it." Fang replied, her resolution firm. "Then if you want to spend the rest of your life investigating and exploring dusty old relics you can go your hardest to your perfect heart's content." Lightning smiled behind her mask and turned back towards her, giving her a sly look.

"Well I was looking to spend more time with you I suppose..."

"That's good to hea-hey! Who are you calling a dusty old- Fang's voice was muffled by Light's hand clamping over the mask. She was given a fierce look at she immediately quietened.

"The rebels are getting too close for comfort and the rumours are flying that the saviour is with them as well. If she's here, it means trouble."

The voice was rough, but making no effort to conceal themselves. Fang and Lightning immediately hid in a broken building and kept at the ready. "If she's here with the others it means a slaughter, more like. You heard what happened at the outposts near the border? Not a soul left."

"Almost could have been a sacrifice for God in itself. Shame it didn't call him forth, we could have all called it a day."

The two insurgents laughed and Lightning's expression darkened. Her grip tightened on her weapon and she suppressed a growl. The concrete dust shifted beneath her feet as she adjusted her position. "What are your thoughts?" She whispered quietly to Fang. The huntress narrowed her eyes and crept forward, carefully peering around the corner to pinpoint their location. "They're either stupid or laying a trap. Honestly I can't tell which."

Fang picked up a rock and tossed it in the air before catching it. "Wanna find out?" She asked, a cheeky grin on her face. Before Lightning could stop her, she pelted the rock square at the head of one of the insurgents. It cracked him in the temple and had him firing his gun on reflex, bullets piercing the building along with his comrade. They both dropped to the ground with a loud thud and Fang waited with baited breath.

When silence met them, Fang barked out a short burst of laughter and stood up with her hands on her hips. "Ha! Did you fucking see that? How good was that shot?" She exclaimed, feeling Lightning's grip tighten on her shirt and yank her down as the reflection off a scope caught the pinkette's eye.

"Can you not be a reckless idiot for five seconds?" Lightning chastised, thoroughly perplexed. Though she was inwardly impressed with the sheer blind luck of Fang's shot, she knew all too well the consequences of early celebration. "You should know better."

Fang fell silent a moment, looking a little guilty, before giving her a charming, lop-sided grin. "You cant deny how amazing that shot was though." She whispered, before carefully looking through a small hole in the office building wall. "Looks like a snipers nest in that building over there. Which means..."

"This is either a vantage point or something worth protecting." Lightning finished for her, pulling out her comms device and opening a secure channel back to base. "Charlie Foxtrot reporting in. Can you give me a sit rep on any intel on any known points of interest in vector niner alpha?"

"I love when you talk all.. military like. It's hot." Fang whispered in her ear, getting a smack on her stomach and a glare from the pinkette.

"Hush!"

" _Charlie Foxtrot, this is Oscar Delta Victor. Transmissions and chatter indicate some kind of reserve stock warehouse. Insurgents nabbed it when the city fell. We aren't sure what's in there at this stage but... We do know that it's heavily guarded._ "

Fang listened while contemplating their surroundings. "We need a distraction to get the sniper's scope off of us." She observed, looking around to survey the area. "What would Valk do..."

"Valk? Who is Valk?" Lightning asked, ending the communication with the base. Fang gave her a smile and crouched down, stretching out her muscles.

"Old friend of mine from the war. Stubborn arsehole. Kinda like you. She was a good sniper despite having fuck all depth perception with one eye. Just thinking what she would do."

Lightning rolled her eyes and sighed, watching as Fang got up and brushed the dust and dirt from her pants. "Was she a reckless maniac like you?" Lightning drawled, trying to peer around the corner to place the sniper.

"Not at first. I like to think I rubbed off on her." Fang replied, heading back towards the stairs. "So speaking of reckless, that sniper needs someone to shoot at. You're faster than I am..."

A broken pen flew at Fangs head as Lightning clicked her tongue In frustration. "I am not putting myself into the path of a fucking sniper, Fang." She snapped, frustrated at their bottle-necked position. Shaking her head, Fang tilted her jaw upward with her fingertips and kissed her.

"And not am I asking you to, gorgeous. But there does appear to be an opening in the base of that building. I'm saying I'll be the distraction, then you make a break for it and take out that sniper."

"Fang. I am not going to breach a potentially full warehouse that is likely armed to the teeth with more than one solitary sniper." Lightning growled, getting increasingly frustrated. "If you think for one second that I-"

"Are you guys done?"

They both whirled at the voice, weapons up. They only just narrowly avoided pulling the trigger on reflex when they saw the familiar annoyed face of Serah watching them, her arms folded as she leant against the wall. Lightning let out a breath accompanied by a loud noise and glared. "What the hell are you doing? And out in the open? Get down!"

Serah dusted her hand on her trousers and inspected her nails with a mock bored expression. "You guys were arguing for too long. So Noel and I moved in and sorted it. Base is ours to establish an outpost."

Fang lowered her weapon and slumped against the wall. "Well now I feel useless." She muttered, folding her arms. Lightning ignored her and got to her feet, walking briskly over to her sister. Searching for any signs of distress in her eyes, Lightning was surprised to find none.

"It's alright, Claire. Really. The miracles of good aim and tranquillisers. They're being taken into custody now."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lightning pulled her sister into a hug, conflicted with equal parts worry and pride. Despite Serah's assertions that she was prepared to do whatever it took to get everyone home, Lightning was still beyond relieved that she hadn't yet been forced to take a life. "I'm proud of you, Serah." She whispered quietly, feeling the tightening grip around her waist.

When Serah stepped back she had a beaming smile and looked beyond happy. She gave Lightning a squeeze of her hand and looked out to the squad moving in to scope out the warehouse. "Well, let's go see what we've acquired then, huh?"

Fang moved out of the building first, taking point to scout for any additional snipers. She knew all too well the cost of letting her guard down. There'd be no healing powers from Valhalla to save them this time. Although if a sniper was going to take an opportunity they would have by now, and Fang finally relaxed once they were all in the warehouse, shielded and safe. Vanille was already inside, taking stock of supplies and sitting down at a nearby computer to see what information could be gleaned.

"Munitions, medical supplies, food and water. We hit a jackpot, ladies." Rygdea called out from a storage cage, giving them a thumbs up. Lightning gave him a weary smile and moved over to a cluttered desk to start investigating the contents. Her smile grew wider when she brushed aside a pile of books and papers and found a worn city map beneath it. There were marker points of caches, other outposts, and encoded messages that she had confidence that it wouldn't take long for them to crack.

Lightning turned at the footsteps that were rapidly approaching as she paused in memorising the map. Fang wore a huge grin on her face as she approached, carrying a large case. "And what have you got there?" She asked, curious as Fang put the case on the desk. There was a proud look to Fang's expression as the Pulsian leant over and kissed her cheek.

"Something that I think will help your confidence out there." Fang nudged her forward, and practically bounced from foot to foot as she waited impatiently. Lightning gave her an affectionate smile and kissed her cheek.

"But christmas isn't for another several months and... Oh... is that..." Lightning trailed off, her eyes wide with astonishment at the open case. She ran her fingertips along the hilt of the weapon, the familiar curves of the blade feeling more like home than anything she had come across in the new world. "Is that a..."

"Gunblade? Hell yeah it is. Prototype from the military that got stolen from one of Neo Sanctum's base raids, according to Rygdea." Fang explained, the pride obvious in her voice as Lightning pulled it from the case and casually flicked the converter to move the weapon to a gum form. "Nobody more equipped to handle it than you, gorgeous."

Lightning smiled and slid it into a holster that was kept within the case, hooking it to her belt. It felt right. The familiar weight comforting. She shifted her weight and frowned at the loose feeling in her boots, kneeling down to tighten the laces. There was a distracting blinking that caught her eye and she glanced beneath the table. A red light flashed dangerously at her, attached to a timer on an explosive device. And it was very much active, and very much counting down. Lightning scrambled to her feet, the blood draining from her face. Fifteen seconds.

"Out! Everybody out! Now!" She bellowed, grabbing Vanille out of the chair and shoving her towards the exit. "Bomb! Go go go!"

Fang whirled around in a panic and grabbed Serah and Noel, sprinting for the exit. The warehouse erupted into chaos as everyone team for the doors. Lightning made it out first and turned as the first of the explosives went off. She was blown off her feet and hit the rubble hard, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Ears ringing, vision swimming, Lightning tried to crawl to her feet and fell backwards, disorientated and wounded. Her face was covered in concrete dust and blood from a cut on her eyebrow, and she felt her face cupped and a muffled, panicked voice on the edges of her hearing.

"... _ght?..ght..? Light?...Light?_ Light!"

Fang's face came into sight, checking her over for injuries. "F..Fang... the.. Others... Ser..." Lightning rasped, her throat dry. She tried to stand again and was forced back down.

"Easy, Light... they're ok. I got your sister out. You saved Van, too." Fang assured her, Lightning glancing at the burning building behind her. "Rygdea made it too. There are a few... Casualties."

Lightning shoved Fang to the side and climbed unsteadily to her feet, holding her arm over her face to try to protect herself from the billowing black smoke. All those resources gone. More lives, gone. She glanced over at Serah helping Vanille up, the redhead cut up from exploded glass. "I am done... with this war. With these... games... Nabaat wants to play..." She growled, coughing from the smoke and dust rising into the air.


End file.
